16 Years of Broken Promises: Retired Police Officers Occupy PenCom

Warn Tinubu government against taking their patience for weakness

Retired police officers have occupied the headquarters of the National Pension Commission (PenCom) in Abuja, warning the Federal Government that failure to honour its promise on an alternative pension arrangement will trigger a renewed battle for complete withdrawal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The retirees, who began their protest on November 1, vowed to remain at the commission’s premises until the government begins implementing Option B and paying their outstanding entitlements.

Their latest action follows 16 years of agitation, negotiations and what they described as repeated government promises without corresponding action.

The National Coordinator of the Union of Retired Police Officers under the CPS, retired Chief Superintendent of Police, Mannir M. Lawal Zaria, said the retirees had initially demanded total withdrawal of the Nigeria Police Force from the contributory pension scheme.

Zaria, who is also the union’s Kaduna State chairman, recalled that the officers staged a protest at the Presidential Villa on April 20, 2026, following which the Federal Government presented two options: complete withdrawal from the CPS or adoption of an alternative arrangement known as Option B.

He said government representatives argued that total withdrawal would take considerable time because the necessary funds were not readily available.

However, they reportedly assured the retirees that Option B had the required funding, institutional structures and personnel for immediate implementation.

Following consultations, the officers accepted Option B in good faith after the government promised to commence implementation by September 2026.

But September came and went without action, forcing the retirees back to the streets, this time at PenCom’s headquarters.

“We have received unfulfilled promises for too long. We can no longer accept assurances without action. That is why we decided to come here and remain until we begin receiving alerts in our bank accounts,” Zaria said.

In a fresh statement signed by Zaria and the union’s National Secretary, retired ASP Elnathan D. Jared, the 36 state chairmen and the FCT chairman demanded immediate implementation of Option B, including the agreed debarment allowances.

They appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Finance, the Director-General of PenCom and the Inspector-General of Police to intervene and end the lingering pension dispute.

The retirees also demanded an official implementation timetable spelling out when the necessary processes would be completed and payments would begin.

They stressed that their acceptance of Option B should not be mistaken for weakness, surrender or willingness to mortgage their future.

Rather, they described the decision as an expression of patriotism, maturity and their determination to give dialogue a chance.

But they warned the government against exploiting their cooperation to prolong the crisis.

The union declared that failure to implement Option B within a clearly communicated and reasonable timeframe would force it to return to its original demand for the total withdrawal of the police from PenCom.

It also threatened to intensify agitation for the establishment of an independent Police Pension Board.

“Our patience is not weakness. Our cooperation is not surrender. Our future is not negotiable,” the retirees declared.

Jared disclosed that the National Assembly had passed a bill addressing the pension dispute and transmitted it to President Tinubu in March 2026, but the President did not assent to it.

He said the President subsequently constituted an actuarial evaluation committee to examine the retirees’ grievances and submit its recommendations within 14 days.

However, Jared alleged that several months after the committee was constituted in July, its report had yet to be formally presented to the Presidency.

He claimed that the committee had completed its assignment but that its chairman, the Minister of Finance, had yet to release the report.

Also speaking, the union’s Assistant National Secretary and Chairman of its Protest Planning Committee, retired DSP Joseph Akubo, condemned what he described as the government’s insensitive treatment of officers who devoted their productive years to protecting the country.

Akubo said many of the retired officers were now elderly, sick and struggling financially after spending their youthful years in national service.

He questioned why government officials would allow former police personnel to suffer while delaying the submission of a committee report that was expected within two weeks.

“It is appalling that men who gave their youthful lives to serve Nigeria are now languishing in poverty, penury and sickness because no adequate attention is given to them after retirement,” he said.

He appealed to the Minister of Finance and other members of the Federal Government’s committee to expedite action and ensure that the retirees’ grievances were addressed.

The officers, however, insisted that they would not abandon their protest without a concrete government commitment backed by action.

With the occupation of PenCom’s headquarters, the pension dispute appears headed for another confrontation, as the retirees give the Tinubu administration a clear choice: implement Option B as promised or face a renewed campaign for total withdrawal from the contributory pension scheme and the establishment of an independent Police Pension Board.