If assented to, the law will establish a Police Pension Board to manage retirement benefits, gratuities, and other pension-related matters for serving and retired police officers.
The Nigerian House of Representatives has taken a significant step towards improving the welfare of Nigeria Police Force personnel by passing a bill to establish the Nigerian Police Force Pension Board.
The bill, sponsored by House Leader Hon. Julius Thonvbere, representing Owan Federal Constituency, aims to exempt the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme under the Pension Reform Act 2014.
Bill No: HB. 979, titled: “A Bill for an Act to Establish Nigerian Police Force Pension Board charged with the Responsibility of Administering the Pension Scheme for the Personnel of the Force and exempt the Force from the Application of the Contributory Pension Scheme under the Pension Reform Act, 2014 and for Related Matters (HB. 979)” has scaled third reading.
If assented to, the law will establish a Police Pension Board to manage retirement benefits, gratuities, and other pension-related matters for serving and retired police officers.
It aims to address long-standing complaints from personnel about delays, inequities, and administrative bottlenecks experienced under the existing contributory system managed by the National Pension Commission (PenCom).
The bill’s passage comes after a series of protests by retired police officers, who have been advocating for better pension benefits.
On July 21, SaharaReporters reported that retired police officers took to the streets of Abuja, protesting against poor welfare and unpaid entitlements, stating that many of them now work as security guards, opening gates and selling food to survive.
The retired officers have demanded their immediate removal from the PenCom and the Contributory Pension Scheme and payment of all outstanding allowances, dating back to 2007.
The protest, tagged #PoliceProtest, attracted dozens of elderly ex-officers and concerned activists. The retirees displayed placards with bold messages such as “PenCom is a killer disease worse than cancer”, “We reject the IGP’s new pension scheme”, and “We serve, we bleed, we deserve better pay.”
A retired officer who joined the protest lamented the humiliation faced by ex-police personnel.
“Military policemen in Lagos are wearing civilian security uniforms and opening gates for people before they get food to chop (eat),” he said.
Human rights activist and convener #RevolutionNow, Comrade Omoyele Sowore, who has been at the forefront of the campaign, highlighted the poor welfare of police personnel and retirees.
The protesters argued that the current pension scheme is inadequate and unfair, particularly compared to military personnel’s pension benefits.
Key Provisions of the proposed bill seek to “establish the Nigerian Police Force Pension Board to administer pension schemes for police personnel, exempt the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme under the Pension Reform Act 2014, and provide better pension benefits for police personnel and retirees.
