No fewer than 300 retired police officers on Tuesday in Ilorin, the
Kwara State capital, protested against the alleged lack of welfare by
concerned agencies of the Federal Government.
The pensioners, who gathered under the aegis of Association of Retired
Police Officers of Nigeria, (Contributory Pension Scheme) Kwara State
chapter, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene to prevent
them from further hardship.
They chanted slogans and carried placards with different inscriptions like, ‘PMB should empower EFCC/ICPC to investigate PenCom/PFAs;’ ‘Police retirees are suffering;’ ‘National Housing Fund is fraudulent,’ ‘After service for 35 years meritoriously, take-home pay is N20,000;’ and ‘FGN should return our lump sum balance.’
The Chairman, ARPON, Kwara State chapter, Mr. Yakubu Abdul, alleged that retired police officers on Contributory Pension Scheme were denied the opportunity of being paid their accurate gratuities or pensions.
He stated that police contributors to the scheme had found it difficult to define their income on retirement.
He alleged that they were often faced with difficulties rectifying the alleged anomaly and thereby remained short-changed.
Abdul also said there was disparity in the payment of pension benefits to retired civil servants. He added that there was non-payment of increment to contributory pension scheme operators whenever there was increment in the salaries of Federal Government workers.
He stated that there should be a definite arrangement for pensioners under the contributory pension scheme to draw pension till death, according to him, like their counterparts in the old scheme.
He also called for the share of returns on invested pension fund.
“It is observed that not a kobo is added to our monthly pension despite the large investment of the pension fund contributed by the pensioners since inception of the programme.
“The contributory pension scheme was founded on a tripod ie. pensioners, Pension Fund Administrators and the National Pension Commission. It is however observed that pensioners don’t take part in making policies that affect them,” Abdul said.
He added, “The non-refund of contributions into the National Housing Fund after retirement either at 60 years of age or 35 years of service of the police is quite worrisome.
“Some of our members who retired in 2010, 2011, 2012 to date are yet to receive their legitimate refund. All necessary documents have been processed through the Nigeria Police Force (our previous employer) which made deductions at source.
“Now that we have retired before collection of housing loan advance, why the unnecessary delay in refunding our money?”
They chanted slogans and carried placards with different inscriptions like, ‘PMB should empower EFCC/ICPC to investigate PenCom/PFAs;’ ‘Police retirees are suffering;’ ‘National Housing Fund is fraudulent,’ ‘After service for 35 years meritoriously, take-home pay is N20,000;’ and ‘FGN should return our lump sum balance.’
The Chairman, ARPON, Kwara State chapter, Mr. Yakubu Abdul, alleged that retired police officers on Contributory Pension Scheme were denied the opportunity of being paid their accurate gratuities or pensions.
He stated that police contributors to the scheme had found it difficult to define their income on retirement.
He alleged that they were often faced with difficulties rectifying the alleged anomaly and thereby remained short-changed.
Abdul also said there was disparity in the payment of pension benefits to retired civil servants. He added that there was non-payment of increment to contributory pension scheme operators whenever there was increment in the salaries of Federal Government workers.
He stated that there should be a definite arrangement for pensioners under the contributory pension scheme to draw pension till death, according to him, like their counterparts in the old scheme.
He also called for the share of returns on invested pension fund.
“It is observed that not a kobo is added to our monthly pension despite the large investment of the pension fund contributed by the pensioners since inception of the programme.
“The contributory pension scheme was founded on a tripod ie. pensioners, Pension Fund Administrators and the National Pension Commission. It is however observed that pensioners don’t take part in making policies that affect them,” Abdul said.
He added, “The non-refund of contributions into the National Housing Fund after retirement either at 60 years of age or 35 years of service of the police is quite worrisome.
“Some of our members who retired in 2010, 2011, 2012 to date are yet to receive their legitimate refund. All necessary documents have been processed through the Nigeria Police Force (our previous employer) which made deductions at source.
“Now that we have retired before collection of housing loan advance, why the unnecessary delay in refunding our money?”
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