• Ex-officers lament systemic injustice, N30,000 monthly stipend after 35 years of service
• Sowore blames insecurity on FG’s neglect of police welfare
• IGP meets NSA over pension, urges patience, warns retirees against manipulation
• NLC: Govt abandoning governance for 2027, crushing dissent, stealing workers’ sweat

Anger over poor pensions boiled over yesterday as retired police officers staged protests in Abuja and Calabar, decrying what they described as “humiliating and dehumanising” retirement benefits under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

Led by human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, the protesters said many retirees received as little as N2 million after serving the nation for 35 years, blaming their financial hardship on the CPS.

The demonstration was sparked by a viral video of a retired officer lamenting the payment of just N3 million after 35 years of service, reigniting national attention on the plight of former police personnel.

The protest began at the Louis Edet House Force Headquarters before moving to the gates of the National Assembly, where the retirees carried placards and chanted slogans, recounting decades of service that ended in neglect and economic hardship.

At the core of their demands was a call to dismantle the current pension structure. The retirees insisted the CPS had failed them, describing it as exploitative and unjust.

Many alleged they were paid only 25 per cent of their total pension at retirement, with the remaining 75 per cent retained by pension fund administrators who now issue monthly stipends that they say are inadequate for survival.

Yahya Musa, one of the protesters, said he receives just N45,000 monthly, calling the amount grossly inadequate to cover even basic needs such as rent and school fees. “How can a man who has served the nation for 35 years be expected to survive on such a sum?” he asked.

Others, including Peter Adagazu, shared similar experiences, revealing they receive as little as N30,000 monthly despite retiring with ranks such as Assistant Superintendent of Police or Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Moses Kimson, the retired officer whose video sparked the protest, told journalists he had rejected the N3 million given to him as a retirement benefit. He said it was insulting for someone who served the country for more than three decades to be paid such a sum and then expected to move on in silence.

According to Kimson, his Retirement Savings Account statements showed multiple years in which his pension deductions were not remitted. The retirees accused the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force and pension administrators of deliberate mismanagement and manipulation of funds. They alleged that pension deductions had been made from their salaries for years but were not reflected in their final entitlements.

One retiree, holding up his statement of account, claimed that for over two years, no deductions had been paid into his pension account, leaving him shortchanged upon retirement.

The protesters expressed visible anger as they condemned what they described as empty promises from the Inspector General of Police and other senior officers. They claimed previous meetings and assurances had yielded no results, expressing deep frustration that whilst the highest-ranking officers of the Force were able to exempt themselves from the Contributory Pension Scheme, lower-ranking personnel were left to suffer its consequences.

Some recounted harrowing personal experiences, including injuries sustained whilst serving in conflict zones such as Liberia. One retiree said he contracted a stroke in the line of duty and now struggles to pay for treatment, whilst another tearfully shared that he was left with just N30,000 monthly after 35 years of active service.

Beyond the call for better payments, the protesters demanded the establishment of a Police Pension Board to manage the pensions of officers directly, ensuring transparency and accountability. They maintained that the government must pay them their full entitlements and stop treating them like “forgotten tools” once their uniforms are retired.

The retired officers vowed not to relent until their demands are met, declaring that they are ready to continue protesting and engaging the media to expose what they described as a systemic injustice.

With chants of “It’s our money, give it to us!” ringing out at the gates of the National Assembly and Louis Edet House, the retired officers made clear that they would no longer suffer in silence.

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore blamed Nigeria’s worsening insecurity on the federal government’s failure to prioritise the welfare and professionalism of the police force.

Speaking in solidarity with protesting retired officers at the National Assembly, Sowore described the police as the most critical institution in Nigeria’s internal security architecture, but said years of neglect had rendered the force ineffective.

“The moment you don’t have the police force, you have no security. So you don’t pay them, you don’t train them, you don’t equip them… the police have withdrawn because you’re not taking care of them,” he said.

Sowore stressed that the current insecurity across the country is a direct consequence of the government’s failure to build a well-motivated and professional police force. He pointed out that although the police outnumber the military in personnel, they remain underutilised in managing internal threats.

“The Nigeria police is the biggest security agency in Nigeria in terms of population. The army has only about 120,000 men and women. The police have over 250,000 men and women,” he said.

“An average police officer should not only have great equipment, but you must give them one assurance, that if they die, they don’t die for nothing. It is called life insurance. He argued that until the country addresses the structural and welfare issues affecting the police, genuine progress in tackling insecurity will remain elusive.

“Almost half of our policemen are not only escorting VIPs but also criminals. So without solving police problems in terms of motivation, training, pay, and equipment, we cannot have internal security,” he said.

SIMILARLY, retired officers staged a peaceful protest in Calabar yesterday, despite heavy downpour, calling on the Federal Government to exempt the Nigeria Police Force from the controversial pension scheme.

The retirees, led by Elder Ofem Mbang, a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, carried placards and chanted solidarity songs, urging President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector-General of Police, and other stakeholders to address their plight.

They expressed deep frustration over the Inspector-General of Police’s alleged indifference, despite several representations and engagements with the National Assembly.

In a nine-point petition addressed to President Tinubu, the retirees decried their continued inclusion in the Contributory Pension Scheme, describing it as “deadly, obnoxious, and dehumanising.”The letter was endorsed by Mbang, CSO Obeten Uket (rtd), SP Jarlath Abang (rtd), DSP Daniel Ochang (rtd), ASP Paul Udo-Inyang (rtd), among others.

The retirees accused successive Inspectors-General of Police of failing to provide the Presidency with a truthful briefing on the hardship the scheme has brought upon retired police personnel, insisting that personal interests had taken precedence over institutional welfare.

“There have been several reports and public hearings on this matter, yet the IGPs have lacked the courage to tell the President the truth about our condition,” the petition stated. “The scheme has impoverished us within our communities and even in our own families, making it difficult to meet basic financial and health obligations.”

The protesters demanded the establishment of an independent police pension board to manage gratuities and pensions, alongside the revocation of the NPF Pensions Ltd licence, which they described as “a conduit for fraud.”

“If the CPS is truly beneficial, why did the AIGs, DIGs, and IGPs exempt themselves from it?” they queried. They further urged the Federal Government to improve police welfare for both serving and retired officers, revive police mechanical workshops, fuel dumps, and logistics stores nationwide. They also demanded the payment of the debarment allowance extended to the military and intelligence agencies.

“We plead with President Tinubu, the Senate President, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives not to be misled by serving and former IGPs who claim all is well,” they added. “The reality is that both serving and retired police officers remain poorly motivated and neglected.”

Receiving the protesters at the State Police Headquarters, Diamond Hill, Calabar, the Commissioner of Police, Rashid Afegbua, assured them that their concerns would be forwarded to the Inspector-General of Police.

“We are almost on your side of the divide…what you are doing is right, asking peacefully for government attention. I can assure you that the IGP is concerned and is actively engaging to ensure that this pension issue receives the attention it deserves,” Afegbua said.
The Commissioner of Police commended the retirees for their orderly conduct and promised to communicate their grievances to the Inspector-General of Police.

HOWEVER, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to addressing the concerns of retired officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

Speaking with aggrieved former officers at the Force Headquarters in Abuja yesterday, the IGP expressed deep concern over their plight, noting that poor retirement benefits also remain a source of anxiety for serving officers.

“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,” Egbetokun said. He disclosed that he had just come from a meeting with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, where the issue of retirees’ welfare was also discussed.

“Even right now, I was just coming from a meeting with the NSA. The subject matter is the poor pension of retired officers. There are things that we need to make to ensure that your suffering in retirement is alleviated.

“There are a number of things that we have done, steps that I have been taking, the details of which I would not like to disclose with the press present. However, I want to assure you that we empathise with you and are not just folding our arms. We are doing a lot to ensure that something is done.”

The police chief, however, warned the retirees against being manipulated by individuals seeking to undermine the force.
“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 cautioned.

On calls for the police to withdraw from the CPS, the IGP maintained he was not opposed to the move but emphasised that the decision was beyond the powers of his office.

“I am not opposed to your exiting the CPS. I’m not opposed to it. If exiting the 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? We have been agitating to exit CPS. For the past 11 years, it has not worked,” he stated.

He added, “The agitation to exit the CPS has been on since 2014, 11 years ago. All previous IGs have tried their best to remove the police from the CPS. But exiting the CPS is beyond the power of any Inspector General of Police.
“
There are a lot of things that are involved. But what we’re interested in is ensuring that our retired officers live a good life after serving the country for 35 years. That is what we want. Even while in the CPS, this is what I have said that people have misconstrued. They have misinterpreted it. Even with the CPS, we can improve the operation of that CPS and ensure that you are happy in retirement.

“There have been several efforts in the past to exit, and it’s not working. So as Inspector General, I started thinking that we have to start looking for alternative ways of addressing the challenges. And it’s these alternative ways I’m working on that people are misinterpreting as me being opposed to your exit from CPS.”

NLC: Govt abandoning governance for 2027
IN a related development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has alleged that governance has been abandoned in favour of 2027 politicking. The labour union also accused the Federal Government and state governors of systematically crushing dissent, weakening democratic institutions, and illegally seizing workers’ contributions, describing these actions as “stealing workers’ sweat.”

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 21st Rain School of the NLC yesterday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, NLC President Joe Ajaero said leaders who should be working to alleviate suffering are instead consumed by power games, leaving workers and ordinary Nigerians to bear the brunt of economic hardship and mounting insecurity.

“Nigeria is on the brink of tyranny! The democratic space — the very arena where citizens, especially the working class, exercise their rights to free speech, assembly, and participation in governance — is under siege,” Ajaero declared.

He described the ongoing clampdown on civic freedoms and union activities as a calculated effort to silence the voices of Nigerian workers ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Governance has been abandoned for 2027 politicking,” he said. “Leaders who should be working to alleviate suffering are instead consumed by power games, leaving workers and ordinary Nigerians to bear the brunt of economic hardship and mounting insecurity — all imposed by their policies.” Ajaero warned that if workers and citizens do not act now to reclaim their civic space, they risk losing fundamental freedoms.

“If we do not occupy, defend, and expand the democratic space, we risk losing the very freedoms that generations of workers fought and bled for. If we do not rise and hold the hands of each other across the diverse unions and the various divides, we may end up having a nation where the forces of authoritarianism hold sway,” he stated.

The NLC president cited threats against the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Peter Obi, and his supporters as a stark reminder of how quickly democratic safeguards are being eroded in the nation, with grave consequences for workers. Ajaero emphasised that defending democratic space was an urgent call for the NLC to continue fighting for workers’ rights.

“If we allow these encroachments to go unchallenged, we risk normalising a reality where the government picks and chooses who enjoys constitutional rights. We must stand firm, not just for Nigerian workers whose livelihood depends on the freedom to demand justice without fear but for those who seek to contest for power in Nigeria,” he said. He questioned the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms in the current political climate.

“How can you hold them to account when the rule of law is heavily compromised? How can you hold them to account when the principles of separation of powers in a democracy are consciously undermined? When the legislature becomes an extension of the executive and the judiciary speaks the voice of the executive; democracy is kept in abeyance and becomes dysfunctional to the detriment of checks and balances and national progress,” he queried.

Ajaero urged workers to chart a new pathway to operate effectively in an environment where expressing contrary opinions is criminalised. He also called on them to oppose the criminalisation of planned protests by retired police officers who are currently facing difficult circumstances.

He noted that workers are being excluded from critical decisions, with policies on taxes, pensions, concessions, and privatisation being imposed without workers’ input.

“If we do not see this as a collective struggle and also make an attempt to build the necessary synergies instead of thinking that this is the struggle of the national leadership, we may be in eternal jeopardy. If we continue slumbering, we may wake up to find out that this prevailing greed has turned our nation into a Somalia,” he warned.