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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Retired policemen beg Tinubu to sign Police Exit Bill into law

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Retired Nigerian police officers are urging President Bola Tinubu to sign the Police Exit Bill into law.
  • The bill aims to exempt the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme, which retirees describe as meager and causing suffering.
  • The retirees argue that exiting the scheme and restoring pension justice is crucial for their welfare and would also enhance national security by ensuring officers' financial security.

Retired police officers in Nigeria are appealing to President Bola Tinubu to sign the Police Exit Bill into law, stating it is essential for improving their welfare in retirement. The group, operating under the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF), lamented the hardships faced by retirees, particularly citing insufficient pensions and gratuities.

This press conference is conceived passionately to urge President Bola Tinubu to graciously give assent to the Police Exit Bill that will ultimately exempt the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme.

— CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd)National Coordinator of the Police Retired Officers Forum, explaining the purpose of their appeal.

CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd), the National Coordinator of PROF, explained that over 30,000 members seek exemption from the Contributory Pension Scheme, a status already granted to their counterparts in other federal security agencies. The forum passionately urges President Tinubu to assent to the bill, which passed the National Assembly in December 2025, to ensure fairness, justice, and national security.

This bill is not merely a welfare reform; it is a strategic national security investment whose benefits will be felt across every community, state, and all sectors of the Nigerian Federation.

— CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd)Highlighting the broader implications of the Police Exit Bill beyond just retiree benefits.

Irowainu emphasized that the bill is more than just a welfare reform; it is a strategic investment in national security. He argued that officers uncertain about their future cannot perform optimally in service. Financial security after service, he stated, encourages integrity during service and motivates officers to fight harder for the nation's present, knowing their future is secured.

Our position remains unchanged, unwavering and non-negotiable, total exit from PENCOM and restoration of pension justice for retired police officers.

— Police Retired Officers Forum of NigeriaStating their firm demand regarding pension reforms.

The forum recalled President Tinubu's past commitment to police welfare during his tenure as Lagos State Governor and urged him to replicate this at the national level. Assenting to the bill, they believe, would solidify his legacy as a president who prioritized national security by securing the future of Nigeria's largest internal security force.

The Nigerian Police Force cannot continue to protect the nation while the nation fails to protect them in retirement.

— CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd)Arguing for reciprocal protection between the nation and its police force.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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