The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force towards addressing the plight of retired officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
The Police Chief who spoke with the aggrieved former officers at the Force Headquarters, expressed empathy for their situation, stating that the issue of poor retirement benefits was a concern for serving officers as well.
TheFact Daily had earlier reported the staged protests on Monday by some retired police officers at the National Assembly and Force Headquarters, demanding better pension benefits and their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
Egbetokun said, “we are also going to retire”, noting that discussions are ongoing to ensure that “something is done to improve the condition of the poor pensioner”.
The IGP disclosed that he had just come from a meeting with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, where the welfare of retired police officers was also discussed.
“There are a number of things that we have done, steps that I have been taking, the details of which I would not like to disclose with the press present. But I just want to assure you that we empathise with you and we are not just folding our arms. We are doing a lot to ensure that something is done”, he told them.
He, however, cautioned the retirees against being used by external actors with ulterior motives.
“Don’t allow the enemies of the police to use you. Be suspicious of those who pretend to be on your side. They may not mean well for you,” he warned.
Addressing the demand for the police to exit the CPS, Egbetokun clarified his stance, insisting he is not opposed to the idea.
“I am not opposed to your exiting of the CPS. I’m not opposed to it. If exiting from CPS will solve the problem, I will go for it. But if it is difficult for us to exit CPS, what else can we do? We have been agitating, exit CPS, exit CPS. For the past 11 years, it has not worked,” he explained.
The IG also stressed that while past administrations have made efforts in the last 11 years to pull the police out of the CPS, the process is beyond the powers of any individual Inspector-General.
“There are a lot of things that are involved. But what we’re interested in is ensuring that our retired officers live a good life after serving the country for 35 years. That is what we want.
“Even while in the CPS, this is what I have said that people have misconstrued. They have misinterpreted it as meaning that it is not until you exit the CPS that you can earn a good pension. Even with the CPS, we can improve the operation of that CPS and ensure that you are happy in retirement.
There have been several efforts in the past to exit, and it’s not working. So as IG, I started thinking that we have to start looking for alternative ways of addressing the challenges. And it’s these alternative ways I’m working on that people are misinterpreting as I am opposing your exit from CPS.”
