Get Guardian on Google…After 16 years of agitation, retirees give Tinubu government ultimatum to implement Option B or face renewed demand for total exit
Retired police officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) have occupied the National Pension Commission (PenCom) headquarters in Abuja, threatening to renew their demand for complete withdrawal from the scheme if the Federal Government fails to implement an agreed alternative pension arrangement.
The retirees, who began their protest on November 1, said they would remain at the commission’s premises until the government takes concrete steps to implement Option B and commence payment of their entitlements.
Their protest comes amid growing frustration over what they described as 16 years of agitation, negotiations and unfulfilled government promises concerning their retirement benefits.
The National Coordinator of the Union of Retired Police Officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme, retired Chief Superintendent of Police, Mannir M. Lawal Zaria, said the officers had initially insisted on total withdrawal from the contributory pension scheme.
Zaria, who also chairs the union’s Kaduna State chapter, recalled that the retirees staged a protest at the Presidential Villa on April 20, 2026, prompting the Federal Government to present two options: complete withdrawal from the CPS or adoption of an alternative arrangement known as Option B.
He explained that government representatives had argued that total withdrawal would take considerable time to achieve and that the necessary funds were not readily available.
However, they reportedly assured the retirees that Option B had the required funding, institutional structures and personnel for immediate implementation.
Following consultations, the retirees agreed to accept Option B in good faith after the government reportedly promised that implementation would begin by September 2026.
But September passed without implementation, prompting the officers to resume their protest at PenCom’s headquarters.
“We have received unfulfilled promises for too long. We can no longer accept assurances without action. That is why we decided to come here and remain until we begin receiving alerts in our bank accounts,” Zaria said.
In a fresh statement signed by Zaria and the union’s National Secretary, retired ASP Elnathan D. Jared, the 36 state chairmen and the FCT chairman demanded immediate implementation of Option B, including the agreed debarment allowances.
The retirees called on President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Finance, the Director-General of PenCom and the Inspector-General of Police to intervene and resolve the pension dispute.
They also demanded an official and realistic implementation timetable specifying the commencement date, completion of necessary processes and expected dates for payment of their entitlements.
The officers stressed that their acceptance of Option B should not be interpreted as weakness, surrender or a willingness to mortgage their future.
Rather, they described the decision as an act of patriotism, maturity and willingness to give dialogue an opportunity.
However, they warned that the Federal Government must not exploit their cooperation to prolong the crisis.
The statement declared that failure to implement Option B within a clearly communicated and reasonable timeframe would compel the retirees to return to their original demand for the total withdrawal of the Nigeria Police Force from PenCom.
They also threatened to intensify their agitation for the establishment of an independent Police Pension Board.
“Our patience is not weakness. Our cooperation is not surrender. Our future is not negotiable,” the retirees declared.
The union’s National Secretary, retired ASP Elnathan D. Jared, further disclosed that the National Assembly had passed a bill on the pension matter and transmitted it to President Tinubu in March 2026, but the President did not assent to it.
He said the President subsequently constituted an actuarial evaluation committee to examine the retirees’ grievances and submit its recommendations within 14 days.
However, Jared alleged that several months after the committee was constituted in July, its report had yet to be formally presented to the Presidency.
He claimed that the committee had completed its assignment but that its chairman, the Minister of Finance, was yet to release the report.
Also speaking, the Assistant National Secretary of the union and Chairman of its Protest Planning Committee, retired DSP Joseph Akubo, condemned what he described as the government’s insensitive treatment of officers who devoted their productive years to national service.
Akubo said many of the retirees were now elderly, sick and struggling financially despite having spent their youthful years protecting the country.
He questioned why government officials would allow retired officers to suffer while delaying the submission of a committee report that was expected within two weeks.
“It is appalling that men who gave their youthful lives to serve Nigeria are now languishing in poverty, penury and sickness because no adequate attention is given to them after retirement,” he said.
He appealed to the relevant authorities, particularly the Minister of Finance and other members of the Federal Government’s committee, to expedite action.
The retirees maintained that they would not abandon their protest until the government provides a concrete resolution and begins implementing the agreed alternative pension arrangement.
With their latest declaration, the pension dispute has entered another critical phase, as the officers insist that the Federal Government must either honour its commitment to Option B or prepare for a renewed campaign for total exit from the contributory pension scheme.
