…Pledges to clear pension arrears, raise salaries if elected in 2027

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of abandoning retired police officers to poverty, illness and humiliation, alleging that some former officers now beg for survival while serving personnel dip into their pension savings to feed their families.

Atiku also demanded an immediate update on the Police Exit Bill, which he said was submitted to Tinubu in March, and called for an urgent review of police salaries following the pay increase approved for members of the Armed Forces.

He made the demands while unveiling his proposed Police Dignity Guarantee Plan, which he said would prioritise the payment of verified pension arrears and gratuities, establish a minimum pension benchmark, improve salaries and provide lifelong healthcare for serving and retired police officers.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku condemned the reported hardship faced by retired officers, saying some had been reduced to begging despite decades of service to the country.

“Retired police officers stood at the gates of the National Assembly with their wives and children. Some of those children carried placards pleading for a law that could help their parents survive. Men and women who answered Nigeria’s call for decades are now waiting outside its legislature for Nigeria to answer theirs. Bola Tinubu should be ashamed that it has come to this,” he said.

Atiku cited the case of a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police who reportedly receives a monthly pension of ₦29,000.

“A retired Assistant Superintendent of Police sat with me and told me his monthly pension is ₦29,000. ‘What would you even buy with ₦29,000?’ he asked. He said more than 120 members of his association of retired officers have died in the last three years,” he said.

He challenged Tinubu to meet the affected retirees and explain how they were expected to survive on their pensions.

The former vice-president also recounted the experience of a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police who, after years of service, reportedly sought menial work to survive before one of his media managers found her begging at the Central Mosque in Abuja.

Atiku said his team intervened to assist the woman but argued that such interventions could not replace a dependable retirement system.

“No former officer should have to be discovered in distress before Nigeria remembers what it owes her,” he said.

He also cited the case of a retired officer in Bauchi who reportedly resorted to gathering firewood for sale to afford food, describing the situation as a painful contrast to the respect traditionally accorded members of the police force.

Atiku further alleged that some serving police officers had withdrawn 25 per cent of their pension savings to meet household expenses amid rising food, transport and medicine costs.

He accused the Tinubu administration of allowing the economic pressures facing workers to undermine the welfare of officers expected to confront armed criminals and protect citizens.

“We ask them to risk their lives for Nigeria while they wonder how to feed their families and whether their country will stand by them when their service ends. That is a disgrace,” he said.

On the Police Exit Bill, Atiku said the legislation had been awaiting presidential action since March, questioning the delay and demanding that the government clarify its position.
He invoked Section 58 of the Constitution, arguing that the President had 30 days to signify assent to the bill or withhold it.

Atiku urged the National Assembly to publish the bill’s formal status, demand an explanation for the delay and determine the constitutional steps available to resolve the matter.

“These officers enforced Nigeria’s laws for decades. They should not have to beg outside the legislature for its members to act,” he said.

The ADC presidential campaign council said Atiku would implement the Police Dignity Guarantee Plan if elected in May 2027.

Under the proposed programme, his administration would audit and settle verified pension arrears and gratuity claims according to published payment schedules. It would also establish a minimum pension benchmark, with periodic reviews to reflect changes in the cost of living.
The plan would provide insured healthcare for serving and retired officers, including treatment for personnel injured in the line of duty.

Families of officers killed while serving would receive timely support, while home-based verification would be introduced for retirees whose health conditions prevent them from travelling.

Atiku also pledged to review police salaries to enable serving personnel to meet their families’ needs without drawing on retirement savings.

Before retirement, every officer would receive a clear record of pension contributions and entitlements, a designated contact for resolving disputes and a dependable payment schedule, he said.

The proposed programme would be backed by budgetary provisions, with the government publishing details of payments made under the scheme.

“Police officers have given Nigeria their strength and their years. Those who protect this country must be able to protect their families. And when their service ends, Nigeria must keep its word to them,” Atiku said.