‘We’re Living In Poverty,’ Retired Police Officers Tell FG

The National Association of Retired Police Officers Contributory Pension Scheme, Edo State chapter, called on the federal government to exit the retired officers from the scheme, saying they are now living in abject poverty.
The group made the call during a press briefing in Benin City. Addressing Journalists on behalf of the association, the state chairman, SP Anthony Nnachor Rtd, said the officers who served their country meritoriously could barely feed themselves while others were dying daily due to lack of money to treat themselves when they fall ill.
Nnachor said, “We are here to let the whole world know the predicament we are passing through. We are on a peaceful mission. Everybody here seated with me would have served in the force for 35 years meritoriously.
“It has become imperative for us to tell the world the problem we are going through. We are now living in abject poverty and we can no longer meet up with our primary responsibility as parents.
“Majority of us are dying every day. What is the main reason? The police in 20O4 established a Pension Act. The serving members of the scheme are supposed to contribute seven percent while the federal government will contribute eight percent as at then, which means that you are working for your retirement.
“It is the money that you have worked they will use to pay you. At the end of your service, they will calculate what is called the lump sum and give you 25 percent.
“If you are somebody who has 10 million, they may give you two million. At monthly level they will spread it. You see some of us here, some are paid N25,000, N30,000, N40,000, even some commissioner of police.
“What we want now is for the federal government to exit us from this evil Contributory Pension Scheme. The scheme is a killer disease, we have been in this struggle since 2019.
“We are calling on President Bola Tinubu to hear our cry and prevail on relevant agencies who are against our exit to remove us from the scheme,” he Nnachor said.
Also speaking, the Publicity Secretary of the association, Mr. Johnson Oyameda, called for the abolition of Nigeria Police Force Pension due to it fraudulent nature.
He appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to write his name in gold by helping them to facilitate the process of exiting from the contributory pension scheme.
He further appealed to President Bola Tinubu to remove them from the Contributory Pension Scheme and allow them to join the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), as it is in the case with the military.
Oyameda also said they are asking the National Assembly to pass the bill removing them from the Contributory Pension Scheme, citing its failure to harmonize the bill despite several public hearings.