KEY POINTS
- Retired police officers plan October 14 protest over CPS.
- They demand total exit and a new Police Pension Board.
- Retirees reject government’s attempts to adjust the scheme.
Retired police officers under Nigeria’s Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) say they will resume protests on October 14 at the National Assembly to press for their removal from the scheme.
Their leader, CSP Mannir Lawal (retd.), told reporters that the retirees have lost patience with government promises and partial reforms. The group is demanding the creation of a separate Police Pension Board similar to those of the military and the Department of State Services.
Police pension grievances defy presidential orders
The planned protest comes despite efforts by President Bola Tinubu and Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to ease the retirees’ hardship.
Following a demonstration in July, the police chief admitted that many retired officers were living in poor conditions and said the police leadership had already pushed for better pension terms during National Assembly hearings. In August, Tinubu ordered an immediate pension increase and free healthcare access for low-income retirees under the CPS, while directing PenCom to resolve the police pension issue.
Retired officers reject reforms to the CPS
But Lawal said the retirees will not accept any modifications to the existing scheme. “We are coming out en masse again on October 14,” he said. “No matter the adjustments, we don’t want to remain under it. We want a total exit and the establishment of the Nigerian Police Pension Board.”
He said PenCom officials met with the group but failed to sway them. “The Army, the DSS, and the NIA have all exited the scheme,” he said. “Why are the police being treated differently? Did we commit a crime by serving as police officers?”
Lawal described the CPS as exploitative, saying many Nigerians do not understand the hardships it creates for retirees. “The CPS is a scam a real scam,” he said. “We have written to Mr. President several times, but there has been no concrete response. We have been pushed to the wall.”
The retirees insist the protest will continue until the government approves a full exit from the CPS and creates the long-demanded Nigerian Police Pension Board.
