Retired police officers: Our pensions insulting, heartbreaking

•Lament N30,000 monthly stipend as PenCom urges calm

•IGP proposes 200% gratuity, improved welfare

By Henry Uche

Retired police officers in Nigeria are frustrated. Their worrisome plight stems from what they described as insulting pension payments and poor welfare.

According to them, the troubling situation is discouraging young Nigerians, including their children, from joining the Nigeria Police Force.

The retirees, who have repeatedly protested across the country, are demanding an end to what they consider unfair treatment under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), insisting that their years of service and sacrifices deserve better retirement benefits.

They want the federal government to remove the Nigeria Police Force from the scheme and establish a dedicated police pension board, arguing that their monthly payments cannot meet their basic needs amid rising living costs and increasing healthcare expenses.

Their agitation has continued for more than a decade, with retired and serving officers divided over whether to abandon the CPS or retain it with improved benefits.

The latest protests have renewed concerns about the welfare of security personnel and the possible impact of their grievances on recruitment, morale and the fight against insecurity.

Agitation through the union

The aggrieved retirees, through the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, has appealed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio to disclose the status of the Police Pension Exit Bill, alleging that over 20 retired officers died within six months due to lack of money for medical treatment.

In a letter signed by its National Coordinator, CSP Raphael Irowainu (rtd.), the forum said the bill was passed on December 4, 2025, and transmitted to President Bola Tinubu on March 16, 2026. It urged the National Assembly to override any presidential veto and remove police personnel from the Contributory Pension Scheme.

For the retired police officers, however, the central issue remains the structure of their pension scheme and what they regard as the government’s failure to adequately reward their service.

A retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Federal Government should treat police officers in the same manner as other military and paramilitary personnel.

“CPS is like a punishment to the Nigeria Police. You removed other forces and left the police, who suffered more for the country. Do unto us as you did to others. My father was a police officer, and I know what they suffered. We need our pension board. When one retires, he uses his money to do whatever he wants to do with it,” he said.

The retired officer argued that police personnel deserved greater control over their retirement benefits after spending years serving the country under difficult conditions.

He also urged President Bola Tinubu to approve the establishment of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, saying the organisation could contribute to the country’s security efforts.

According to him, the poor conditions of service and retirement benefits have made policing less attractive to younger Nigerians, including members of his family.

He recalled that his children showed no interest in joining the police despite his family’s history of service.

“When my father retired as a chief superintendent, I took some of his attire, including his cap and belt, but my children refused to follow me.

“My over 200 pairs of uniforms and other wears, including camouflage, I burnt them all. You can imagine young people being begged to join the police. Let the Federal Government give us autonomy from the so-called CPS,” he said.

The retiree also claimed that some serving officers had expressed frustration about their future after leaving the force, alleging that some had threatened to turn to kidnapping and terrorism to survive.

Although the claim could not be independently verified, it underscores the depth of concern among some officers about their financial security after retirement.

The retired officer said police personnel were expected to obey the law and remain disciplined throughout their careers, making it necessary for the government to provide adequate support when they could no longer serve actively.

“He should approve our agitation and the Peace Corps of Nigeria. Let them come and contribute their quota regarding security. The more, the merrier. Nigerians know what we suffer; we have served this country. And mind you, you can’t do otherwise while in service; it would amount to mutiny,” he added.

Another retired Assistant Superintendent of Police from Owerri, Imo State, said some retired officers in the state had taken their welfare complaints to the National Industrial Court after several protests failed to produce the desired results.

He alleged that serving officers under the command of the state Commissioner of Police had threatened to arrest the retirees during one of their protests.

The retiree said his monthly pension was slightly above N30,000, an amount he considered insufficient to meet his needs.

“Every month, I get a bit above N30,000. What would that do for me in a whole month in the current economic turmoil?” he asked.

He also complained about the accommodation challenges facing retired police officers, alleging that they were forced to leave police barracks after retirement, unlike some military personnel who, he claimed, continued to enjoy accommodation arrangements after leaving service.

He argued that officers who contributed part of their salaries towards retirement savings throughout their careers should be allowed to receive benefits that would enable them to meet their immediate needs after retirement.

“Since I was enlisted into the Nigeria Police, they started deducting my pension from our salaries until we retired. They should give us our money in a lump sum,” he said.

The pension controversy has also attracted reactions from Nigerians who believe the government should address the complaints of retired officers.

Commenting on their plight, Catherine Odele, said the welfare of police personnel required urgent attention, arguing that the government should listen to officers if they believed the existing arrangement was not working for them.

“The story of the Nigeria Police is nothing to write home about. We learnt that apart from the uniform they were given at the college during their recruitment year, the officers pay for every other wear, from cap to boots.

“If the police say they want to exit a scheme, the Federal Government should allow them to leave. They know exactly where and how it hurts them,” she said.

The concerns have also raised questions about the willingness of young Nigerians to join the force at a time when the country faces serious security challenges and needs more personnel to protect lives and property.

Welfare and development experts have warned that persistent disputes over retirement benefits could weaken confidence in the police pension system and affect the morale of serving officers.

They argued that officers who witness retired colleagues struggling to meet basic needs may become less motivated, while young people considering a career in the force may look elsewhere for employment.

“If retired police officers continue to struggle for decent pensions and adequate post-service welfare, their children and other young Nigerians may become increasingly reluctant to serve the country, raising fresh concerns about recruitment, morale and the long-term effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force and the military,” the experts warned.

They maintained that the government must ensure that those who risk their lives to protect the public are not left without adequate financial support when they retire.

However, the federal government has begun exploring measures to address the pension concerns, with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, proposing a 200 per cent gratuity for retired police officers.

The proposal is part of efforts to improve retirement benefits and address the longstanding complaints of police personnel over the CPS.

It is being considered by a presidential committee set up to examine the concerns of police officers and recommend sustainable solutions to the pension crisis.

The committee includes representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the Budget Office of the Federation and the National Pension Commission (PenCom).

Under the proposed arrangement, eligible officers could receive pension benefits linked to their last salaries, alongside the enhanced gratuity.

The proposal is also expected to address demands by serving officers seeking to leave the CPS, although the final outcome will depend on the decisions of the relevant authorities.

A serving police officer, who spoke anonymously, said the proposed reforms were expected to resolve outstanding pension liabilities, improve retirement benefits and establish a more efficient pension administration system.

“We learnt that the initiative seeks to resolve outstanding pension liabilities, improve retirement benefits and establish a more efficient pension administration system,” the officer said.

He added that the proposal could also cover officers who retired before the introduction of any new framework, with provisions to review their benefits in line with revised terms.

Some officers have urged their retired colleagues to give the government time to address the concerns, pointing to President Tinubu’s intervention and ongoing discussions with relevant institutions.

They said the proposed reforms had raised hopes that some of the problems affecting retirees, including inadequate benefits, delayed payments and administrative difficulties, could be resolved.

The federal government has also cleared outstanding pension payment backlogs that previously left some retirees waiting for as long as two years, according to information on the government’s efforts to address the problem.

Disu’s engagement with the Presidency, PenCom and other relevant institutions is expected to sustain efforts to resolve outstanding liabilities, improve funding and make pension administration more effective.

However, the proposed changes have not ended the disagreement over whether the police should remain in the CPS.

**PenCom’s position **

PenCom has maintained that improving police retirement benefits is preferable to withdrawing the force from the scheme, while acknowledging that officers have legitimate concerns about their welfare.

On July 14, 2026, PenCom Director-General, Omolola Oloworaran, said the police remained under the CPS, explaining that officers were demanding an exit partly because they believed their retirement benefits were inadequate compared with those of military personnel.

Speaking during a media briefing, Oloworaran said the commission was engaging the relevant authorities to explore ways of improving police pensions.

She said PenCom supported efforts to improve officers’ welfare, whether through reforms within the existing scheme or another arrangement approved by the government.

The commission has also acknowledged that police officers deserve better retirement benefits, considering the risks associated with their duties and their role in protecting lives and property.

PenCom’s position is that the concerns should be addressed by improving the benefits available to police retirees rather than automatically withdrawing the force from the scheme.

The Federal Ministry of Police Affairs has similarly reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing the pension concerns.

However, the ministry has indicated that moving the police from the CPS to a Defined Benefit Scheme or another arrangement would require careful consideration of policy, legal and executive issues.

The CPS operates differently from a traditional pension arrangement in which retirement benefits are calculated mainly by reference to an employee’s salary and years of service.

Under the contributory arrangement, employees and their employers make contributions into a Retirement Savings Account (RSA), which is managed by a licensed pension fund administrator. The accumulated savings and investment returns help determine the benefits available at retirement.

Supporters of the scheme argue that it provides a structured way of building retirement savings, while critics among the police say the benefits available to them do not adequately reflect the risks and sacrifices associated with their service.

Another area of concern is the amount retirees can withdraw as a lump sum when they leave service.

Under PenCom’s revised guidelines, an eligible retiree may withdraw up to 50 per cent of the balance in their RSA as a lump sum, provided the remaining amount can finance a programmed withdrawal or life annuity that pays at least 50 per cent of the retiree’s monthly remuneration at retirement.

The percentage available to each retiree depends on factors including the balance in the RSA, age, gender and last salary. Consequently, not every retiree automatically qualifies to withdraw the maximum 50 per cent.

This means that the demand by some police retirees to receive their pension contributions in a lump sum would need to be considered within the applicable pension rules or under any new arrangement approved by the government.

For the aggrieved retirees, however, the debate over pension rules is about more than the structure of a retirement account. They say it is about whether the country adequately values those who spend their working lives protecting its citizens.

The protests by police and military retirees have therefore brought renewed attention to the relationship between security, welfare and public confidence.

As the government considers the proposed 200 per cent gratuity and other possible reforms, retired officers are waiting for measures that will translate into improved living conditions.

For serving personnel, the outcome could also influence expectations about life after retirement. For young Nigerians weighing the risks of a career in policing, the treatment of retired officers may shape their willingness to join the force.

The challenge before the government is to find a sustainable pension arrangement that addresses the retirees’ complaints, protects their accumulated savings and ensures that security personnel can look forward to a dignified life after service.

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