Retired police officers under the Police Retired Officers Forum, Ogun State chapter, staged a peaceful protest at the office of Governor Dapo Abiodun in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, yesterday. The retirees marched through major streets in the state capital, displaying placards with inscriptions such as “We serve Nigeria, we deserve better”, “Tinubu sign our exit from the Contributory Pension Scheme”, and “We want Police Pension Board”.
They demanded that the executive arm of the Federal Government sign the bill into law, calling for the exemption of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). The protesters also urged the implementation of the Nigerian Police Pension Board, which would remove the NPF from the CPS and manage, administer, and pay retirement benefits, including gratuities and pensions, to serving and retired officers.
The retirees appealed to President Bola Tinubu to consider the impact of inflation, rising food prices, and worsening living conditions due to fuel subsidy removal, and to assent to the bill to ease economic hardship. Speaking during the protest, Chairman of the forum in Ogun State, Amodu Jimoh, urged the President to sign the bill into law to enable police retirees to enjoy pensions similar to those of the military and Department of State Services (DSS) personnel.
Jimoh noted that the bill had been presented to former President Muhammadu Buhari, who did not sign it before leaving office. He called on the current administration to address the struggles of pensioners who can barely afford food and medication. Jimoh described the CPS as detrimental to retirees and reiterated the demand for the NPF’s exemption, pointing out that agencies such as the military, DSS, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had already been removed from the scheme.
“We are protesting because our cry has gone on for more than 10 years. The last House of Representatives passed our bill on the exemption of Police from the Contributory Pension Scheme and the creation of the Nigerian Police Pension Board, but President Muhammadu Buhari refused to sign it. We want to be exempted from the Contributory Pension Scheme as they have done for the Military, DSS, EFCC, and create the Nigerian Police Pension Board. The CPS is a fraud,” Jimoh said.
