Retired police officers in Edo protest over pension scheme, say it worsens hardship after service.
They urge Tinubu and lawmakers to remove them from the system they call unfair and painful.
Retired police officers in Edo State have joined their colleagues across Nigeria in a peaceful protest, calling for urgent reforms to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), which they say has brought them nothing but hardship since its introduction.
The retirees, under the umbrella of the National Association of Retired Police Officers Contributory Pension Scheme (NARPO-CPS), took to the streets on Monday and also held a press briefing in Benin City to draw attention to what they described as years of financial neglect and frustration under the current pension system.
They expressed disappointment over the federal government’s continued silence on their demands, stressing that the CPS has not improved their welfare after long years of dedicated service to the country. Many described the scheme as a “killer policy” that has worsened their living conditions.
Speaking during the press conference, the Edo State Chairman of NARPO-CPS, retired Superintendent of Police Anthony Nnachor, said the pension scheme had failed to meet the needs of retired officers. According to him, several retirees who spent over 30 years serving the nation are now living in poverty and struggling to survive.
“Some of us receive as low as twenty-five or thirty thousand naira monthly. Even those who retired as Commissioners of Police are not spared,” Nnachor stated. “We cannot afford basic healthcare, food, or even support our families. Many of our colleagues are dying daily due to poor living conditions.”
He explained that under the scheme, officers contribute seven percent of their salaries while the government contributes eight percent. However, at retirement, only a small fraction is paid out immediately, and the rest is spread out in small monthly payments that leave many struggling to get by.
“If you contributed ten million naira, you may only be given two million upfront. The rest is paid in tiny monthly instalments, which makes no sense considering today’s cost of living,” he said.
Nnachor appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene directly and order the removal of police retirees from the CPS. He urged the government to place them under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), which currently covers retired military personnel.
Also speaking at the event, the group’s Publicity Secretary, Mr. Johnson Oyameda, described the current arrangement as unjust and called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to help fast-track their exit from the scheme.
He noted that since 2019, the group had been appealing through protests and lobbying, yet nothing significant has been achieved.
“We are also asking the National Assembly to speed up the harmonisation and passage of the bill that will finally remove us from this scheme,” Oyameda added. “There have been several public hearings, but the process continues to face unnecessary delays.”
The retirees vowed to continue their peaceful protests until their demands are met.
