A group of retired police officers has urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to step aside from deliberations regarding their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme.
The retirees, expressing a lack of trust in his involvement, insist that only the National Assembly should oversee the process.
During a protest at the National Assembly on Wednesday, the retired officers called on lawmakers to take full control of the issue, citing concerns over undue interference from the police leadership.
Speaking on behalf of the demonstrators, CSP Manir Lawal (retd.), Chairman of the Kaduna State Chapter of the Association of Retired Police Officers under the CPS, voiced apprehension over recent developments that have fueled their anxiety.
“That meeting at Jabi some weeks ago raised our tension. Before then, we were 100% sure that the National Assembly would exit police retirees from the CPS. But after that interaction, we became very worried,” Lawal said.
He criticized the IG’s involvement in the matter, arguing that legislative decisions should be left solely to the National Assembly.
He also pointed out that other security agencies, including the Army and the Department of State Services have already been removed from the scheme.
“We are here to tell the lawmakers that we only know them as lawmakers. The Inspector General of Police is a civil servant, so he’s not a lawmaker. We see no reason why he should be interfering in the affairs of the National Assembly.
“The IG and other senior officers from the rank of AIG upwards are not under the CPS. Why is he encouraging us to remain under it while he and others are out? Let him answer this question for us,” he added.
Lawal further condemned what he described as years of financial exploitation under the CPS, claiming that retirees only receive a fraction of their pension savings while the bulk is controlled by PENCOM for investments.
“The cheating is too much. PENCOM has killed many of us with this CPS. This lump sum is a disaster in the sense that no matter the amount of money you contributed while in service, the moment you retire, that money will be divided into 100%. Then out of that 100%, it’s only 25% that will be given to a retiree.
“While PENCOM holds the 75%, then they are using it to yield interests in millions of naira. But we that were the original owners of the money, Kobo is not added to us in our monthly income. We don’t want anything from PENCOM. We want to go.”
The retired officers reiterated their demand for the IG to disengage from the process, allowing lawmakers to reach a final decision on their removal from the pension scheme.
“He (IG) should stop, back out and allow the National Assembly to do their work. It is them we trust.
“If the IG is good, he is the number 12th IG, all of them made us continue to remain under the CPS, at that meeting in Jabi, he confirmed that we are suffering, if the IG truly cares about us, he should have acted immediately. That is why we are here today—to demand justice,” Lawal stated.