The bill, which sought to exempt the police force from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) has passed the second reading in the House of Representatives. The Bill was first presented in 2014 and is seeking to amend Section 5, sub-section 1 paragraph (a) of the Pension Reform Act of 2014.
The bill seeks to extend the provisions of the pension reform act 2014 to exclude the police force from the CPS. Currently, the law enforcers are not included in the pension scheme for which presently include members of the Armed Forces and the intelligence operatives.
Former President Obasanjo’s administration, according to the lawmaker, brought the Nigerian Police under the current pension scheme.
Obasanjo, he said, modeled the country’s Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) after Chile’s ‘Chilere’ pension scheme, which exempted both the armed forces and the police.
“Unfortunately, in adopting the same model, he included the police in the Nigerian Contributory Pension scheme while exempting the military and other intelligence agencies,” Waive said.
The Nigeria Police Pensions Limited (NPP), according to the lawmaker, was established following a Presidential approval aimed at improving the welfare of serving and retired police officers.
“Following the approval, the National Pension Commission was directed in 2012 to assist the Police in the formation of the Nigeria Police Pensions Limited.
This, he claimed, was necessary in order to stay within the Contributory Pension Scheme and address all other concerns about welfare and pensions.
However, he claimed that operating under the current pension scheme had been unappealing and regrettable for Nigerian Police Force retirees.
The police, as the country’s first line of defense, were exposed to more dangers at all hours of the day and night than other security agencies, and thus deserved better treatment both during and after service.
