Fidelis David in Akure
More than 30,000 retired police officers across Nigeria have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently assent to the Police Exit Bill, arguing that improved welfare for serving and retired personnel is essential to strengthening the nation’s internal security architecture.
The appeal was made on Tuesday in Akure, Ondo State, during a press conference addressed by the National Coordinator of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF), CSP Raphael Irowainu (Rtd), who described the bill as a strategic national security intervention rather than a mere welfare package.
According to him, the legislation, which seeks to exempt the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), was passed by the National Assembly in December 2025 and transmitted to the President in March 2026 for assent.
He said the forum’s immediate demands include presidential assent to the Police Exit Bill, total withdrawal of the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme, migration to a Defined Benefit Pension Scheme, establishment of a Police Pension Board and payment of all accrued pension rights and arrears owed to retirees.
The forum expressed confidence that President Tinubu would ultimately approve the bill, noting that similar security agencies already operate outside the CPS framework.
However, the group threatened to resume a nationwide peaceful protest if the bill is not signed into law before June 22, 2026.
“Our position remains unchanged, unwavering and non-negotiable — total exit from PENCOM and restoration of pension justice for retired police officers,” Irowainu declared.
He said, “This struggle is not about privilege but about justice, equity, fair play and human dignity. The Nigeria Police Force cannot continue to protect the nation while the nation fails to protect them in retirement.”
Irowainu argued that the welfare of police personnel directly affects operational effectiveness, morale, discipline and intelligence gathering capabilities.
“This bill is not merely a welfare reform; it is a strategic national security investment whose benefits will be felt across every community, state and sector of the Nigerian Federation,” he said, maintaining that officers who are uncertain about their future after retirement cannot be expected to perform optimally while in service.
“A motivated police force performs better in crime prevention and intelligence operations. Financial security after service encourages integrity during service, while officers who trust their future fight harder to secure the nation’s present,” he added.
The retired officer further argued that granting the police exemption from the CPS would restore parity with other security and intelligence agencies, including the Armed Forces, the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which operate under different pension arrangements.
“Granting the Nigeria Police Force similar consideration will restore institutional parity, strengthen inter-agency morale and cooperation, and reinforce the message that Nigeria values those who protect her citizens daily,” he stated.
The forum also described the President’s decision on the bill as one capable of defining his legacy in the area of security sector reform.
Irowainu recalled Tinubu’s reputation for prioritising police welfare during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State and urged him to extend the same commitment at the national level.
“Assenting to this bill will cement your place in history as the President who courageously prioritised national security by securing the future of the nation’s largest internal security institution,” he said.
The retirees insisted that exiting the CPS should be viewed as a long-term investment capable of improving professionalism, reducing corruption and enhancing public confidence in law enforcement institutions.
“No investment produces more sustainable national stability than one directed at the welfare of those entrusted with safeguarding lives and property,” Irowainu declared.
The forum, however, expressed dissatisfaction with what it described as poor pension benefits paid to retired police officers, claiming that many retirees struggle to survive after decades of service to the nation.
