Defying the rain and the scorching sun, retired police officers and civil society organisations took to the streets and major roads across the country, to demand an immediate adjustment to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) for former police personnel.
The former law enforcement officers, who were armed with placards, chanted solidarity songs, insisting that the pension system being adopted by the Police Service Commission (PSC) had subjected them to years of hardship and indignity.
During the demonstration on Monday, the protesters described the pension scheme as exploitative and didn’t reward service to the nation.
In Abuja, one of the protesters, who blocked key access roads linking the National Assembly complex, CSP Manir Lawal, said: “We are here to ask the government to remove us from the CPS. The pension scheme is exploitative and unjust”.
The 67-year-old Lawal said that the system had impoverished thousands of retired police officers who had dedicated their lives to serving Nigeria.
“I am 67 years old. Many of us here are in our 60s and 70s. We have served this country faithfully and deserve to retire in dignity. This scheme has impoverished us. It is our right to demand better,” he added.
The protest drew support from various rights groups and watchdog organisations, who joined the retirees in pressing the National Assembly to urgently amend the pension laws affecting security personnel.
Despite the heavy rainfall in Cross Rivers, the protesters gathered to demand immediate action on their long-standing call for removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The visibly agitated retirees, many of them elderly, carried placards with inscriptions such as “We served with honour, pay us with dignity,” “CPS is a death sentence,” and “We reject peanuts for pensions.”
They marched calmly to the gate of the state command headquarters, where they submitted a formal petition addressed to the Inspector-General of Police.
Leading the protest, Superintendent Daniel Okon (rtd), said the CPS had subjected them to untold hardship, despite decades of dedicated service to the nation.
“We came here today, under the rain, to show the world the extent of our suffering. Many of us have died waiting for fair treatment. We want to be exited from this pension scheme that does not favour us,” Okon said.
He commended the Cross River State Police Command for providing security and not attempting to suppress their demonstration.
The retirees decried the stark contrast between their meagre monthly pensions under the CPS and what their counterparts in the defined benefits scheme receive. Some claimed they take home as little as N15,000 to N20,000 monthly, barely enough to afford necessities.
Another protester, Sergeant Martha Ekpenyong (rtd), who retired after 32 years in service, lamented: “Even after retirement, we are still being punished. How can a grandmother survive on N17,000? We cannot buy drugs, and cannot feed properly. This is injustice.”
The peaceful protest was monitored by officers of the state command, in line with the directive from the Inspector-General of Police, who had earlier instructed all commands to provide cover and ensure the protest was not hijacked by non-retired persons or political interests.
In a statement earlier, the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, had noted that the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force was not opposed to the protest and recognised the concerns of its retired personnel, even as it continues to pursue both statutory reforms and alternative welfare initiatives.
After submitting their letter at the Police Headquarters, the retirees vowed to continue their advocacy through legal and non-violent means until their demands are addressed by the Federal Government.
