Retired correctional officers urge FG to address poor welfare, gratuity delays

Retired correctional officers in Nigeria’s Kogi State say retirement has brought hardship, delayed gratuity payments and welfare conditions so poor that some former officers struggle to support their families.

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As the pioneer Chairman, I thank you for this honour bestowed on me. It is a critical assignment at this stage of retirement. I will uphold it to the best of my knowledge and ability. By the grace of God, we shall introduce innovations in line with global best practices.

The appeal came during the inauguration of the pioneer executives of the Retired Correctional Officers Association, Kogi chapter, in Lokoja. Saliu Musa-Halima, a retired Controller of Corrections and the association’s pioneer chairman, pledged to make members’ welfare his priority.

Musa-Halima described the retirees’ challenges as “cumbersome” and said many former officers suffered health complications after leaving service. Retirement benefits, he said, were meagre. “When you restrict their welfare, they die early. Government should consider the plight of our people,” he said.

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Our challenges are enormous. Many of us suffer health complications due to neglect after retirement. The retirement benefits we receive are meagre. If I tell you what a Controller receives, you will be shocked.

He also argued that correctional facilities form the foundation of Nigeria’s criminal justice system because offenders must be detained somewhere. “The prison is the foundation of the criminal justice system,” he said, calling on the federal government to recognise the role officers play in national security.

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When you restrict their welfare, they die early. Government should consider the plight of our people.

Musa-Halima said many retired officers still lived on loans and struggled to care for themselves and their children. Umar Abubakar, the association’s publicity secretary and a retired Deputy Controller of Corrections, acknowledged that the current administration had improved salaries and allowances for serving personnel. He also credited Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and Controller General Sylvester Nwakuche with supporting serving officers.

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The prison is the foundation of the criminal justice system.