The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Police Service Commission (PSC) have kicked against the planned protest of the retired police officers over issues that were already receiving the attention of relevant government agencies, describing it ill-advised
They acknowledged that while some of the organisers of the protest have good intentions, some others were planning to capitalise on such protest to carry out their agenda.
Force PRO, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, while reacting to the planned protest, said: “While some of these accounts are grounded in fact and driven by good faith, others have been marred by misinformation, emotional manipulation, and calculated distortions designed to discredit the Government and undermine the present leadership of the Nigeria Police Force.
“It is disheartening to observe how certain actors have chosen to politicise a sensitive welfare issue, weaponizing the legitimate grievances of our retired colleagues for ulterior motives. Their intent is not reform, but disruption. Their tactics involve twisting facts, inflaming sentiments, and sowing distrust in the public space. These actions do a disservice not only to our noble institution, but to the integrity of public discourse in our country. We however remain focused on the real issue which is the welfare of those who once bore the burden of national security with courage and honour.”
He further stated that, “the agitation for improved police pensions, particularly the call for exit from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), is not a recent development. It has spanned over a decade. Since 2014, successive Inspectors-General of Police have demonstrated empathy, engaged critical stakeholders, and provided institutional support for this cause. Yet, despite these earnest efforts, the desired outcome has remained elusive; not for lack of will, but due to entrenched legal provisions, fiscal limitations, and administrative bottlenecks. The hard truth is that exiting the Police from the CPS lies beyond the limit of any Inspector-General, as the matter is deeply woven into a web of statutory mandates, inter-agency protocols, and policy inertia.
”Moreover, expert projections indicate that as the scheme matures, its benefits are expected to significantly improve. Officers retiring within the next five years are projected to receive significantly more favourable pension outcomes than those currently exiting the system. In practical terms, this means that the longer one remains in the scheme, the less likely they are to experience the same pension challenges. This evolving reality demands a pragmatic review of our approach.”
Meanwhile, the chairman of the PSC, DIG Hashimu Argungu, said the intended protest at a time when there was almost a consensus that the state/condition of some retired police officers deserve immediate consideration and improvement was diversionary and in bad taste.
The commission also said Argungu 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.
Argungu had also made several interventions in this direction and till date, had remained an advocate of a democratised Police Pension scheme.
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