President Bola Tinubu has approved lifetime salaries for retired Comptrollers-General (CGs) and Deputy Comptrollers-General (DCGs) of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), according to Interior Minister Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. The announcement was made on Friday, October 16, at the closing ceremony of the Specialised Border Control and Immigration Management System Training held at the Immigration Headquarters in Abuja, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria.
Pension Upgrade for Retired Immigration Chiefs
Tunji-Ojo said the decision marks a significant departure from what retired immigration chiefs previously received. He highlighted the inadequacy of the old pension structure, stating: "Previously, CGs had a pension of about N130,000; it was not encouraging. But what did the president do? He signed and approved salary for life for CGs and DCGs."
The minister's remarks, also reported by The Punch, underscore the administration's focus on improving welfare for senior immigration officers after retirement. The move is seen as a response to long-standing grievances over post-service benefits.
Promotion Backlogs and Recruitment Drive
Beyond pension reforms, Tunji-Ojo said President Tinubu had resolved long-standing promotion delays that had stalled career progression across the immigration service. He disclosed that no fewer than 50,000 personnel received new ranks and offices within three years, describing the achievement as unprecedented.
"It has never happened before, but Tinubu did it. He also increased the volume of recruitment, where we now have no fewer than 40,000 new recruits at once," the minister said. He added that salary increases and hazard allowances had also been addressed for serving personnel under the administration.
Building Institutions for the Future
Tunji-Ojo framed the welfare improvements as part of a longer-term strategy under the Renewed Hope Agenda, arguing that the president's focus was on building durable institutions rather than short-term gains. He said: "President Bola Tinubu has never been about the immediate, but the future. He understands that the most prosperous nations do not boil, cook, and eat their seeds; they plant them. What this president is doing is planting the seed so that the future will be abundant."
The minister noted that Tinubu had acknowledged he would not remain in office indefinitely, but emphasised that the institutions being built would outlast his tenure and benefit future generations. "This president has cared for the services more than any president in the history of Nigeria. He has given you his all. And all he asks from us in the service is to do our jobs well and make Nigerians happy," Tunji-Ojo added.
Related Development: Minimum Wage Review Dispute
In a related development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the federal government are at odds over the timeline for reviewing the N70,000 national minimum wage, with the labour union insisting that preparations for a fresh round of negotiations must begin immediately. NLC president Joe Ajaero made the union's position clear in a letter dated October 13, 2026, addressed to the minister of labour and employment, Dr Muhammad Dingyadi. Ajaero rejected the government's argument that starting a new wage review so soon would be premature, citing the original National Minimum Wage Act, 2019, as the legal basis for the labour movement's demands.
