Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and retirees are walking different alleys on the bill seeking to exempt the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
While IGP is opposing the bill seeking to exit police from the scheme, the retirees are in full support of the law, saying it has provided a safe haven for him while it impoverishes them.
Egbetokun speaking while addressing police officers in Abuja said exiting the scheme will not favour the police force stated that if the police exit the CPS, they will go back to square one.
IGP said: “Yes it is true that a bill has been passed by the National Assembly for the police to exit the CPS and that bill is awaiting presidential assent, but has anyone of you seen the details of the content of that bill? You need to go and look at the bill and see where you are exiting to?
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“Everybody is shouting ‘let us go, let us go’. You must know where you are going before you start shouting, ‘I want to go”. When I became IG, I set up a committee to look into the pension issue and we discovered that the bill awaiting the assent of the President does not favour us. If we exit the present Contributory Pension Scheme, we are going back to square one, where we were before the introduction of the scheme.
”Our pension will be in the hands of politicians and they will be the ones to address our pension. Our pension will be subject to budgetary allocation every year and when the government does not have money, you will not be paid.
“You remember those days when retirees would go and line up and wait for months and they would not get anything, that is the place you want us to go back to. So we have to be careful not to go from the frying pan to the fire. I am the Inspector General of police, you must trust me that I care about your welfare and I will fight this pension issue to make sure that police officers who retire get the best of pension in retirement”.
He stated that what he is rather working on is a situation where police officers upon retirement receive their final salary as monthly pension.
“Let me disclose to you what I am working on, I am working on a pension scheme where every police officer will retire with his salary. That is the best and that is what I want for the police. Not the exit you are all shouting about. Where are you going, where are you exiting to, you don’t know where you people are going and you are saying let us go. Can you tell me where you are going before you say let us go. So let us be very careful with this emotion we are attaching to exiting the scheme”, he added.
Police retirees counter IGP Over CPS
However, in January 2024, the Nigeria Police Retirees (NPR) under Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) had described the scheme as an evil slave merchandise with the Inspector General of Police (IGPs-retired and serving) as beneficiaries who are all out to impoverish Police retirees.
In a rejoinder, “Re: IGP Sensitive to Improved Welfare Pension Scheme: Initiate Moves to Proffer Lasting Solution,” the Police retirees said, the press release by the Force PRO as authorized by the IGP Dr. Egbetokun Kayode was “very economical with the truth as paragraph two of the press release emphasized the commitment of the IGP to resolve pending issues as regards post-service police welfare. This is a detour to his repugnant position after his initial wave of political statements and sentiments during his tour of some police formations”.
This rejoinder was contained in a statement dated January 9, 2024 by the Nigeria Police Retirees (NPR) under Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), signed by its National Coordinator/Chairman, Cross River State Chapter, SP. Chris Effiong (Rtd), Secretary General, DSP (Dr).Peter Silas (Rtd) and Legal Adviser, DSP (Elder) Ofem Mbang (Rtd).
The police retirees said that they “are aware that he (IGP) is hell-bent on coercing retirees under the CPS into a scheme that benefits his dream retirement like the previous IGPs who traded the destinies of both serving and retired officers under their watch. This new commitment is a decoy to persuade our agitated minds and patronize our conscience to lure us into the slave trade merchandising he wishes for us.
“We want to remind the IGP (in case he has forgotten) that the police generals have paved a safe haven for themselves after they exited the evil and obnoxious pension scheme organized for the dredge of the society through the back door”.
They argued, “If this scheme is good enough, why did the Police generals hurriedly exempt themselves from the scheme and want to use us as article of trade to funnel income into the purse of NPF pension and Pencom?
“The Army generals never abandoned their subordinates when the military exited the CPS. It is a shame that the Police generals are happy that a senior Police Officer would collect 1.5m after 35 years of meritorious service to this nation as lump sum (gratuity) and N14,000.00 as monthly pension under our present economy.
“Whereas a junior staff of Pension Commission takes home a whooping 1.5m as monthly salary. The chicks that lay the golden eggs are dying of hunger and starvation. The frustration of retired Police officers has caused high death tolls among Police Retirees.
“For instance, on 23/12/2023 only, two retirees – late Rtd ASP Mohammed Na’Állah Agunbiade and late Rtd ASP Akanbi Ajibola both of Kwara State died. One can imagine if the statistics is across the nation. The death toll has been that way because of poor living condition after retirement.”
The Police retirees said the press release release in paragraph three stated that “in the efforts of the IGP to finding a lasting solution to the pending issues of retirement the IGP invited both serving and retired police officers to Force Headquarters Abuja for a meeting. We emphatically refute that claim as untrue and unfounded.
“The acclaimed meeting as reported in the news was between the IGP, National Union of Pensioners (NUP) and Police Veterans Forum (PVF) who are not part of the CPS group of retirees.
The NUP distanced itself from our several efforts to secure exit from the evil scheme bankrolled by Pencom. They purposely refused to present any papers in any of our appearances both in the Red and Green chambers. So, at what point did they become our representatives?”
Since the formation of the PVF was announced, the retirees said “its membership selection has been majority of Defined Benefit Scheme Retirees than Contributory Pension Scheme Retirees. Was any member of the Veteran Foundation at the Red or Green Chambers of the National Assembly to defend Police Exit and Establishment of Police Pension Board Bills? If not, why are those who understand the pains associated with CPS sidelined?
“This is not an oversight but a deliberate act of neglect against Police Retirees under CPS. So, we refute the claim of being at the meeting with a man who is head-bent to further impoverish Police retirees under CPS.
“The IGP pretentiously asked at Kwara State Command ‘where are you exiting to; as if he does not know where other sister security agencies exited to nor where his predecessors exited to and where he will soon exit to”.
According to the police retirees, the concerted efforts made by ordinary members of the force after the police generals exited themselves to secure the passage of the bill to establish police pension board has been scuttled by the unrelenting commitment of the IGP without minding what went into that humongous achievement.
“We want to reiterate unequivocally that the IGP has no statutory responsibilities under the extant law – Police Reform Act 2014 and should be guided. It’s a matter of respect we want to align with the force otherwise there is no part of the Act that served the IGP any purpose.
“After all he is not a management staff of Pencom other than he is fixated on using the numerical strength of the retirees under CPS to funnel funds into NPF pension Ltd as a business man; not out of love for retirees under CPS. Therefore, we demand for obvious reasons that he should retract his pretentious actions”.
“We want to caution against the repetition of the negative history where a sitting IGP told the NASS that the Police are comfortable with the Contributory Pension Scheme and truncated the process of exiting the Police from the Scheme then. We are not comfortable with the scheme. We desire nothing less than total exit and so plead that the IGP should let it be. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander”.
They advised that; “The IGP can stand aloof and watch unfolding events than jump into the conflict arena; the dust will settle on him. He has done enough damage to our God-given victory. We served the force and left him there to continue the tradition of respect for senior citizens not disrespecting and disparaging us before the public.
“He has every opportunity to better our lots but has deliberately refused to take that advantage in our favour because of greedy pursuit.
“We wish to seize this opportunity to sound this warning that we are all Nigerians and citizens who spent the best part of our youthful lives to serve this country where we are being treated like outcasts. Dr. Egbetokun Kayode wants to ensure he aids Aisha Dahir-Umar, Director General National Pension Commission (PenCom) to achieve this mischief because of his private interest like his predecessors,” they stated.
Recall that one of the policies of the Pension Reform Act is that pensioners receive payments up to 10 years after they retire. However, if the pensioner dies before 10 years elapse, the beneficiary receives the monetary balance for the remaining years.
