Police Retirees Protest Poor Post-service Entitlements, Demand Improved Welfare

•IGP meets protesters, vows to address issues 

•Bauchigovt inaugurates contributory pension commission, charges members on efficiency

SegunAwofadeji in Bauchi, Hammed Shittuin Ilorin, BasseyInyang in Calabar and Linus Alekein Abuja

Retired Police Officers in many parts of the country, yesterday, took to the streets to protest alleged abysmal pension entitlements paid to members after over three decades of law enforcement duties to the nation.

In Abuja, the retired officers, who took their protest to the Louis Edet House, Force Headquarters, and National Assembly Gate in the nation’s capital, ventilated their grievances to the Police authorities and leadership of federal lawmakers.

The protesting officers also demanded the removal of Police Pension from the contributory pension scheme.

The pensioners, who chanted solidarity songs, also carried placards with different inscriptions, including “Scrap Police Contributory Pension Scheme” and “We Need Our Full Gratuity”.

The elderly pensioners, who defied the early morning drizzle in Abuja, stood under it lamenting that their welfare and dignity had been neglected for too long.

Speaking during the protest, a retired Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP ManirLawal, called on the government to exit police retirees from the pension scheme, describing the contributory pension scheme as exploitative and unjust.

“We are here to ask the government to remove us from the CPS. The pension scheme is exploitative and unjust. I am 67 years old. Many of us here are in our 60s and 70s.

“We have served this country faithfully and deserve to retire in dignity. This scheme has impoverished us. It is our right to demand better welfare after retirement,” he stated.

Human rights activist and convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement, OmoyeleSowore, joined the retirees in calling for urgent intervention from the federal government.

Addressing the crowd of protesters, Sowore called on the government to immediately recognise the sacrifices of Nigerian police officers and ensure their rights and entitlements are upheld.

Police operatives monitored the protest to prevent any breakdown of law and order.

Earlier, the Police Service Commission (PSC), in a statement, said the reason for the protest was already receiving the attention of relevant government agencies.

The statement, signed by the Head of Press and Public Relations, IkechukwuAni, said, “The Commission says the intended protest, at a time when there is almost a consensus that the state/condition of some retired Police Officers deserves immediate consideration and improvement, is diversionary and in bad taste.”

Ani said the Chairman of the Commission, DIG HashimuArgungu (rtd), had at several fora condemned the poor and discriminatory pension scheme for some categories of retired Officers and had called for a streamlined Police pension scheme.

In Cross River State,  the aggrieved protesting retired policemen who defied the heavy rains, which started earlier in the day marched to the headquarters of the state police command at Diamond Hill in Calabar where they laid their complaints peacefully.

The protesting retired policemen, who carried placards bearing different messages against the CPS, and the welfare scheme of retired, and serving policemen were led by Elder OfemMbang (DSP Rtd), presented a letter to the leadership of the police in the country, and the federal government containing their nine-point demand.

The letter  addressed endorsed by Elder Mbang (DSP Rtd); CSO ObetenUket (Rtd); SP JarlathAbang (Rtd); DSP Daniel Ochang (Rtd); ASP Paul Udo-Inyang (Rtd), and four others and addressed to President BolaTinubu asked the federal government, and the police leadership to remove them from the CPS , describing it as obnoxious, and dehumanising.

From Ilorin, Kwara State, the protesters also alleged that the scheme has been fraught with challenges since its inception, and that retired officers who fell in the category of the pension platform should be exempted like those who rose to the position of Generals in the force.

The protesters, however, sought establishment of a Police Pension Board with sole responsibility of overseeing the pension matters of the police as applicable in other security agencies.

Addressing members of the ARPON during the peaceful protest in Ilorin, chairman of the group, YakubuJimoh, a retired Chief Superintendent of Police, pleaded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently come to their aid.

Nevertheless, the Inspector-General of Police, KayodeEgbetokun, has vowed to address the poor welfare of retired police officers.

Speaking to the aggrieved retirees, Egbetokun expressed empathy for their situation, and stressed that the issue of poor retirement benefits was also a concern for serving officers.

According to him, “We all feel concerned. We empathise with you because we are also going to retire. I have been engaging at the highest level to ensure that something is done to improve the condition of the poor pensioner.

“I just finished a meeting with the National Security Adviser, NuhuRibadu, where the welfare of retired police officers was also discussed. The subject matter is the poor pension of retired officers. There are things that we need to do to ensure that your suffering in retirement is alleviated.”

He assured the retirees that efforts were being made to improve their welfare, but cautioned them against being used by external actors with ulterior motives.

“Don’t allow the enemies of the police to use you. Be suspicious of those who pretend to be on your side. They may not mean well for you,” he warned.

Addressing the demand for the police to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), Egbetokun clarified his stance, insisting he was not opposed to the idea.

“I am not opposed to your exiting the CPS. If exiting from CPS will solve the problem, I will go for it. But if it is difficult for us to exit CPS, what else can we do?” he asked.

The IG also stressed that while past administrations had made efforts to pull the police out of the CPS, the process was beyond the powers of any individual Inspector-General.

“The agitation to exit the CPS has been ongoing since 2014, 11 years ago. All previous IGs have tried their best to exit the police from the CPS. But exiting the CPS is beyond the power of any Inspector-General of Police,” he said.