Retired Police Officers, Wives Resume Abuja Protest, Demand Tinubu’s Assent To Pension Bill
Retired police officers and their wives on Wednesday staged a protest at the National Assembly in Abuja, demanding that President Bola Tinubu sign into law a bill seeking to exempt the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The protesters, under the aegis of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, accused the Federal Government of delaying action on the legislation, which they said would address the poor retirement benefits of former police personnel.
The retirees, dressed in matching blue T-shirts and face caps, carried placards and banners while chanting slogans at the National Assembly gate.
The demonstration is part of an indefinite protest resumed on September 29, 2026, following what the group described as the failure of previous engagements with government officials to resolve the dispute.
The forum’s leader, CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd.), said the National Assembly passed the bill on December 4, 2025, and transmitted it to the President on March 16, 2026.
He accused the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and police management of opposing the proposed exemption, alleging that their actions had contributed to the delay in presidential assent. The allegations have not been independently verified.
Irowainu rejected assurances that the government would improve retirees’ welfare under the existing scheme, insisting that the police must be removed from the contributory pension system.
He cited the military, Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency and National Assembly as institutions that had been exempted from the scheme, arguing that police retirees deserved similar treatment.
To illustrate their plight, Irowainu said retired Assistant Superintendents of Police receive lump-sum payments of between ₦2.1 million and ₦2.5 million, with monthly pensions of about ₦25,000.
He put the lump-sum payments for retired Superintendents at between ₦2.5 million and ₦2.8 million, with monthly pensions of ₦35,000 to ₦40,000. Retired Commissioners of Police, he claimed, receive between ₦7 million and ₦9 million as lump sums and monthly pensions of ₦90,000 to ₦100,000.
The figures were provided by the forum’s leader.
He further alleged that more than 20 members of the group had died within six months because they could not afford medical treatment, adding that the forum was compiling their names.
The latest demonstration followed a protest at PenCom’s headquarters on Monday, where the retirees demanded that the commission stop interfering with the proposed legislation.
According to Irowainu, PenCom’s secretary and legal adviser, Mohammed Sani, who addressed the protesters on behalf of Director-General Omolola Oloworaran, appealed for calm and assured them that efforts were being made to improve retirement benefits.
The retirees, however, insisted that improved benefits under the existing arrangement would not address their concerns.
Irowainu said the agitation began in September 2025 and had involved engagements with several government institutions, including the Presidency, the Inspector-General of Police, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Police Affairs.
He recalled that the group suspended an earlier protest after receiving assurances that the matter would be resolved but resumed demonstrations when no satisfactory outcome followed.
The forum vowed to continue its protest until Tinubu assents to the bill or the government takes concrete steps to address its demands.
Irowainu said the group was considering demonstrations at additional locations, including government offices and the international airport, to draw public attention to the dispute.
The retirees maintained that adequate retirement benefits were essential to recognising officers’ years of service and strengthening the morale of serving police personnel.
