Police Retirees in Kaduna Blow Hot Over Non Removal from Contributory Pension Scheme

Chairman, Association of Retired Police Officers, Kaduna Chapter, Ret. CsP,  Mannir Lawal Zaria speaking on behalf of the union while giving the scenario of their past struggles in their bids to seeking   their removal from the Pension Contributory Scheme said they have gone through all manners of hardship.

Most of their children he said are out of school for non payment of fees. They can not feed well and that many have lost their lives while awaiting payment of the fruit of their dedicated years of service.

According to the group, those with whom they started the struggles, the Army, the SSS, are now enjoying a better condition because their leaders fought for them while in their own case are left to languish in abject poverty.

The Chairman narrating their plights and all their struggles said.

“We have been placed on contributory pension scheme which is against our wish. We started struggling to be out of this system which was introduced in the year 2004.

Since the inception of this scheme, police retirees have been facing series of difficulties. Like not able to feed well, our children driven from school for not paying school fees and we have been complaining to the police hierarchy so that they help to see that we are removed from this scheme but unfortunately, the police hierarchy, are the ones who are having hand in it, not to make it to be possible. I am sorry to say, it is very unfortunate. What l am saying, l am saying it here with proof.

“When the system started, all the Nigerian workers were forced into the system. Somewhere along the line, the army, the SSS, together with the police started struggling that they should be removed from the system. Luckily enough, the army, the SSS, may God bless their generals, they succeeded in removing all their personnel from the contributory pension scheme.

The IGP, Inspector General of police then with which they started the struggles came before the world to say the police was contented with the Contributory Pension Scheme which is a pure lie. We are dying.”

The Chairman lamenting said, as a proof to the world, they were forced to buy shares which up till now they have not received any dividend.

The union is denying the claim which  was sometime reported by the media that the police has been removed from the contributory pension scheme.

Each IGP that came on board he said despite the push by the senate introduced their different styles which has left them where they are today.

The chairman continued.

“Another IGP came. He met the struggle on ground. The national assembly gave the struggle a real consent to the extent of passing the first and second reading to the public hearing.

During the public hearing, this IGP came to tell the world that police are contented under contributory pension scheme. Why?

We did not relent in our efforts because the struggles continued.

“Then another IGP came to force. The then government gave him go-ahead to do what he can to remove the police from the contributory pension scheme.

“Unfortunately this IGP, instead of removing the whole member of the Nigerian police force from the contributory pension scheme, he succeeded in fighting and removing those from the rank of AIGP, Assistant inspector general of police up to the level  of IGPs. Then paper carried it that the police has been removed from Contributory Pension Scheme. But the truth is that only a segment of the police was removed from the scheme. What we are saying is the nicked truth.

“All these messages, we are making them known to the legislators because according to my history, it is only the legislators, members of the national assembly that are having pity on us because our IGP was asked to present an exit bill, he refused. A member from the federal house of representative by name Francis Suwebo was the one who  sponsored that bill. Another senator from the Senate by name Elisha Agbo, he was the one who presented and pass the bill to establish police pension board. From all these that l am saying, it is the nicked truth because we have seen it practically.

“Because of the utterances and write -ups of the present IGP, our national body sent a rejoinder. We the retirees of Kaduna state chapter are in support of that rejoinder sent by our national body.

The rejoinder he explained was that, “The IGP has been on public media saying that since his resumption into office, he has been making efforts to make sure that police retirees are enjoying their pension scheme to the extent that he mentioned that he called us to his office for discussion which l, as a member, is saying , there was never a time such calling was made to us. We only know that we did peaceful protests twice. There was never a time we were called into AIG’s office for pension discussion. That was why our national body deemed it fit to quickly send a rejoinder to the present IGP for the  purpose of clarity.

The group aside pleading with President Tinubu on the removal from contributory pension scheme drew his attention to three areas of concern.

Firstly, that three times the federal government increased salary wages, the police retirees under contributory pension scheme did not benefit but those under defined benefit did.

Secondly, the group complained that the miscalculation of their pension money of 2.5% approved to be paid by the federal government have not been given to them rather, they learnt that there was a directive by the DG Pencom that the money be paid into retirees pension salary account.

Also raised was the issue of palliative directed by the federal government to be paid to cushion the economic effect on the people. This also have not been enjoyed by police retirees.

President Tinubu should help to address if not all at least two of the above as well as their removal from the contributory pension scheme. They cried out.

One of the retirees ASP Esther Makus speaks: