Pension Crisis Rocks Military As Board Chairman Faces Reported Removal

The Chairman of the Military Pension Board, Air Vice Marshal Mikail Abdulraheem, has reportedly been removed from his position following a dispute between the board’s management and retired military officers over alleged irregularities in pension calculations and other entitlements.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the reported decision came days after retired military personnel staged a protest at the board’s headquarters, demanding corrections to what they described as errors in their pension payments and calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene.

The protesters, led by retired Lieutenant-Colonel Innocent Azubuike, reportedly blocked the main entrance to the board’s headquarters at about 8:30 a.m., expressing dissatisfaction with the handling of their pension entitlements.

The retired officers accused the board of creating inconsistencies in pension structures and payments, insisting that their grievances required urgent attention from the relevant authorities.

The disagreement reportedly escalated during a meeting between the board’s management and the protesting veterans last Tuesday. The meeting allegedly ended in a heated exchange, with both sides failing to reach an agreement.

Sources familiar with the development reportedly described the dispute as an embarrassment to the military leadership and the Tinubu administration, given the importance of pension payments to retired personnel who served in the armed forces.

The incident was also said to have raised concerns within the Defence Ministry and among senior military officials, including the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), and the Chief of Defence Staff.

Efforts to resolve the disagreement reportedly failed in the days following the meeting, leading to the decision for Abdulraheem to step aside.

A senior military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reportedly disclosed that the board chairman was expected to hand over to another officer on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

However, the reported removal and the circumstances surrounding the decision have not been independently confirmed, and no official statement from the Military Pension Board or the Defence Ministry was included in the available report.