Police authorities in South South Nigeria have been accused by 280 retired police officers of treating them like slaves and depriving them of their rightful pension benefits.
President Bola Tinubu sent Omolola Oloworaran, the Director General of the Pension Commission, or PENCOM, to address their mounting complaints, and they brought up the accusations during their meeting.
At least 280 of them, representing various regions of the South-South states, gathered in Calabar yesterday and passionately expressed their pain, demanding that they be transferred from the Contrulibutory Pension Scheme (CPS) to the Defined Benefit Scheme.
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They accused certain senior police officials, both active and retired, of failing to carry out their proper duties.
The pensioners claim that the military and DSS employees make more money than many of them, who only receive N18,000 or N20,000, while their military counterparts of the same rank receive N400,000 or more.
Speaking on their behalf, Police Retirees Association National Legal Officer Ofem Mbang stated, “No amount of improvement under CPS that will come that will satisfy us.” Palliative care comes and goes, so we don’t want it.
“We want a permanent structure which is pexit from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and the establishment of the Police Pension Board.
“A military man, a WO1, which is an equivalent of an Inspector in the police goes home with about N200,b000 but and Inspector goes home with about N18,000 to N19,000.
“A retired DSP gets N35,000 to N40,000. A retired Commissioner, an equivalent of Major General in the army goes home with N70,000 while a retired Major General gets about N800,00. This is fraud and a shame to the government.”
The pensioners maintained that they wanted a police pension board to oversee their pension and gratuity, similar to how the military has its own board and the federal government, not a private company, pays salaries and interest.
“I’ve never seen all over the world where security agency pensions are managed by a private limited company. MPF pension Ltd are all eating our money. Their license should’ve revoked.”
“We want Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) to be managed by the Police Pension Board (PPB).”
Addressing their concerns, the director general of PENCOM, Ms Omolola Oluworaran assured that the entire processes of payments of pensions and gratuities are going to be reformed.
“We are working to reform the current pension scheme so as to have the best for the police officers.
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“I won’t be able to give details presently. But I have made proposals which are subject to amendments and approvals.
“So I’m not comfortable discussing those proposals with the press but what I can say is that the police is fighting for a righteous cause and the Commission under my leadership will try and see how we can ensure that the cause of the police, the cause they are fighting for, is fulfilled”
Oloworara admitted that what they received was embarrassing, but she added that even while the results of her suggestions might not be precisely what they had hoped for, she has President Bola Tinubu’s approval and guarantees that their concerns will receive prompt, positive attention.
Oloworara further said that Tinubu has promised to pay off any outstanding debts owing to retired police officers, urging calm and a bit more tolerance for another two months.
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