The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, said most retired police officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme are living in humiliating conditions.
He disclosed this today during a meeting with senior police officers in Abuja, noting that this has affected the morale of serving officers.
He noted that the living conditions of retired officers were unacceptable, given the sacrifices they made in service.
His words: “One area I remain deeply committed to is the welfare of our retired officers under the Contributory Pensions Scheme, CPS. Their post-service condition is heartbreaking and morally unacceptable.
“Today, most retired officers of the Nigerian Police Force live in conditions that are not only unacceptable, but humiliating, given the sacrifices they made in service to the nation. Their monthly pension under the CPS is maximally low and roughly inadequate to meet even the most basic needs. Many can no longer afford health care, housing, or a life of dignity.
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“This has turned retirement into a period of hardship and regret, eroding the confidence of serving officers, who now see their own future with fear rather than hope. Among serving officers, there exists a growing and deep-rooted anxiety, born from the belief, rightly or wrongly, that retirement is a descent into hardship. This fear has become so pervasive that it is having a noticeable demoralising effect on morale across ranks.”
“Attempts made to educate them on the operation of the Contributory Pensions Scheme have been taken as attempts to keep them in perpetual bondage of the CPS,.”
He further disclosed that the Force have initiated efforts to augment the pension of retired officers and had presented its position to the National Assembly during the public hearing of the bill seeking to exempt the police from the scheme.
“This stance was further reinforced in my recent letter to the National Assembly. While the agitation for our exit from the Contributory Pensions Scheme is just and deeply rooted in lived realities, it is imperative that our actions are guided by prudence and strategy,” he said, cautioning against hasty decisions.
“I sounded a caution that my people should look well before they jump into any exit. There may be a booby trap in the bill. So what is the use in exiting out of this bill and jumping into uncertainty?”
He noted that his earlier comments were misinterpreted as opposition to exiting the scheme.
“Some people have interpreted that to mean that I don’t want the police to exist. That is not true. But people often know that that’s not exactly what it meant.”
