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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of abandoning retired police officers to poverty, demanding action on the Police Exit Bill and an urgent salary review for serving personnel.
Atiku, a former Vice President, said retired officers were enduring hunger, illness and humiliation, while some serving personnel were drawing down their pension savings to feed their families.
In a statement issued by the Director of Strategic Communication, ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, he challenged the President and the National Assembly to explain the status of the bill, which he said was transmitted for presidential assent in March.
The bill seeks to remove police personnel from the Contributory Pension Scheme and establish the Nigeria Police Force Pension Board to manage their pensions.
Atiku also demanded a review of police salaries following the recent pay increase approved for members of the Armed Forces, arguing that Nigeria must provide adequately for those who spend their working lives protecting its citizens.
“Retired police officers stood at the gates of the National Assembly with their wives and children. Some of those children carried placards pleading for a law that could help their parents survive. Men and women who answered Nigeria’s call for decades are now waiting outside its legislature for Nigeria to answer theirs,” he said.
“A retired Assistant Superintendent of Police sat with me and told me his monthly pension is N29,000. ‘What would you even buy with N29,000?’ he asked. He said more than 120 members of his association of retired officers have died in the last three years. Bola, sit with these officers. Look them in the eye. Tell them how you expect them to live.”
The former Vice President also recounted the plight of a retired senior officer who, he said, had been reduced to begging.
“I have not been able to stop thinking about a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police. After years of serving Nigeria, she went looking for work and said she would even clean to survive. One of my media managers later found her begging at the Central Mosque in Abuja. He came straight to me, and we intervened.”
According to Atiku, another account from Bauchi illustrated the hardship confronting retired personnel.
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“In Bauchi, the retired Assistant Superintendent saw a former colleague gathering firewood to sell so he could buy food. People still called out to him, ‘Officer.’ Imagine bearing that title after a lifetime of service while searching for your next meal. Nigeria remembers his uniform but has forgotten the man inside it.”
He argued that serving officers were also struggling to meet their basic needs, with consequences for their welfare in retirement.
“I know serving police officers who have withdrawn 25% of their meagre pension savings to feed their children. Under Tinubu, the price of food, transport and medicine has risen beyond what their salaries can bear. Their pay cannot sustain them today, so they are spending the money meant to protect them tomorrow.
“Tinubu made life expensive, and even the officers he sends to confront armed criminals are being pushed into poverty. We ask them to risk their lives for Nigeria while they wonder how to feed their families and whether their country will stand by them when their service ends. That is a disgrace.”
Citing Section 58 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Atiku said the President had 30 days to assent to a bill or withhold assent, and urged the National Assembly to disclose the formal status of the police pension legislation.
“The National Assembly must publish the bill’s formal status, demand an explanation for the delay and determine the constitutional steps now available. If a vote is required, hold it openly. Let every legislator’s name stand beside the decision. These officers enforced Nigeria’s laws for decades. They should not have to beg outside the legislature for its members to act,” he said.
Atiku pledged that, if elected, his administration would introduce a Police Dignity Guarantee Plan covering pension arrears, gratuities, healthcare and improved remuneration.
“We will audit and settle verified pension arrears and gratuity claims against published payment dates. We will establish a pension floor and review it as the cost of living changes. No one who spent decades protecting Nigeria should have to sell firewood to eat or beg to buy medicine.”
He promised insured healthcare for serving and retired officers, treatment for personnel injured in the line of duty, timely support for families of officers killed in service and home verification for retirees unable to travel because of illness.
“We will review police pay so serving officers can feed their families without drawing down their pension savings. Before retirement, every officer will receive a clear record of contributions and entitlements, a named contact to resolve disputes, and a dependable payment date. We will provide for the Guarantee in the budget and publish what has been paid,” he stated.
