Report by ALI MUHAMMAD RABIU; Editing by BASIRAT MEMUDU
Retired police officers in Kwara state have staged a peaceful protest to demand their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The retired police personnel in the state, under the aegis of the Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria (ARPON), were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions such as “President, NASS and IGP should honourably exempt the police from the CPS, Establish Police Pension Board to manage gratuity and pensions, If CPS is so good, why did AIGs, DIGs and IGPs exempt themselves from the scheme? among others.
Addressing members of the association during the peaceful protest in Ilorin, chairman of the group, Yakubu Jimoh, a retired Chief Superintendent of Police, alleged that the scheme has been fraught with challenges since its inception.
According to him retired officers who fall in the category of the pension platform should be exempted like those who rose to the position of Generals in the Force.
He sought establishment of a Police Pension Board with sole responsibility of overseeing the pension matters of the police as applicable in other security agencies.
Jimoh explained that the report of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Services on the bill for the establishment of Police Pension Board, which public hearing held November last year be released, notwithstanding that it was conducted eight months ago.
He also called on the federal government and National Assembly to fast track the legislative process on the disbursement of the N758billion, a pension shortfall owed security agencies.
For his part, the Legal Adviser of the Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria (ARPON), Adekunle Iwalaiye, said the retired officers deserve to be paid living pension away from the crumbs they receive monthly.
He urged the government to act on the demand of the retirees, considering the meritorious services they rendered to the country for 35 years.
