The Senate has advanced a bill aimed at establishing an exclusive pension board for the Nigeria Police Force, similar to those for military and other security agencies. The bill, titled “Police Pension Board (Establishment) Bill,” was sponsored by Senator Binos Yaroe (PDP, Adamawa South) and passed its second reading following an extensive debate.
In his lead debate, Senator Yaroe highlighted the disadvantages faced by police officers under the current Contributory Pension Scheme managed by the Pension Commission (PenCom). He noted that while other frontline security agencies, such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of State Services (DSS), Defence Intelligence Agency, and National Intelligence Agency, operate outside PenCom, the Nigeria Police Force remains under its jurisdiction.
Senator Yaroe pointed out the disparity in pension benefits between police officers and their counterparts in other security agencies. He provided an example where a Deputy Superintendent of Police under PenCom receives N2.5 million in pension benefits, whereas an equivalent rank in the Army (Captain), Navy (Lieutenant), Air Force (Flight Lieutenant), and DSS (Captain) receives N12.8 million. This results in police retirees receiving only 19.5 percent of the pension benefits of their colleagues in sister agencies.
“The broad objective of this bill is to bring equality, equity, and justice in the payment of pensions between the police and her sister agencies, boost the morale of serving personnel, and enhance the standard of living for retired personnel of the Nigeria Police Force,” stated Yaroe.
He added, “The inclusion and continued stay of the NPF in PenCom has placed them on the wrong end of post-service emolument life despite being saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property, detecting, preventing, investigating crimes, and prosecuting offenses.”
The bill received unanimous support from the senators. Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, who presided over the session, emphasized the importance of the legislation in boosting the morale of police officers.
“The bill is very important. The police is our number one law enforcement entity, and we need to do all that is required to take care of them in respect of their pension. They lay down their lives while we sleep; they are awake to protect us and our properties, so we need to do our best in terms of their pension,” Barau remarked.
He further asserted, “It is quite good, as suggested, that their pension should be in line with what is applicable in other sister agencies. What is sauce for the goose should also be sauce for the gander.”
Source: The Punch.
