Former Inspector General of Police, Sir Mike Okiro don express serious worry about how retirement benefits for police officers dey delay. He talk say di situation no good at all, and e fit make serving officers do things wey go spoil di image of di force.
Okiro yarn with journalists for Abuja on Monday 13 July 2026. Di former police boss tok say retired personnel no suppose suffer after dem don serve dia father land. E say welfare of serving police officers must get proper attention so dat dem no go do things wey go spoil di force reputation.
E further explain say since e leave office, di Nigeria Police Force remain di same. Nigerians still dey suffer because di force no evolve new steps forward. According to am, di concern of di police no don meet. Wen e leave office, di officers wey dem recruit don train well to improve di service future, but unfortunately, di concern don dey go down drastically. We dey where we dey today because police don dey neglected for long time.
On reform of di force, Okiro urge say all training of personnel must dey geared towards technology driving. E advise say reforms must aim to change di face of policing for Nigeria. E say make reform allow for upliftment of officers, because situation where officer stay too long before promotion no good. E dey make dem feel redundant and debased. E suggest say officers suppose dey recommend for promotion to next rank at least every three years.
Okiro stress say insecurity no suppose dey tackle by regular policing alone. E require intelligence, special training and equipments wey go give dem steps ahead of terrorists and confront dem successful.
Meanwhile, di National Pension Commission, PenCom, don move to calm rising unrest among police personnel about remaining for Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). PenCom Director-General, Omolola Oloworaran, talk say di commission aim to secure improved retirement benefits for officers, not to back dia withdrawal from di scheme.
Oloworaran yarn for media briefing for Presidential Villa for Abuja on Tuesday. E say police no don withdraw from CPS, contrary to wetin many people dey think. Dia grievance dey centred on disparity between dia retirement benefits and wetin Armed Forces members dey enjoy.
She say PenCom don open talks with relevant government authorities to address police concerns by improving pension benefits. She tok say: “Di police no don exit di Contributory Pension Scheme. Dem want exit because dem believe dia benefits too small. Dem compare dia benefits with military and no happy. Dem want dey at par with military.”
She say PenCom fully understand di concerns and support efforts to improve welfare. She add say: “We share dia frustration because we stand for anything wey put more money for pockets of ordinary Nigerians. Wetin dem want na improved benefits. If we achieve dat, e no matter weda dem do am inside di scheme or outside. We dey engage appropriate authorities on how police pensions fit review and improve.”
She acknowledge say opinions inside di force differ on di proposed withdrawal from CPS. Some groups dey advocate exit, but many officers dey primarily interested for better retirement packages. She say: “Dere be different camps inside di police. Some no fully align wit wetin we dey do, but many simply want better standard of living after retirement. Dat na exactly wetin PenCom dey fight for.”
Di PenCom boss also dismiss claims say pensioners dey face delays for accessing dia retirement benefits. She insist say retirees wit complete documentation dey receive dia entitlements without unnecessary hurdles. She say di commission dey actively monitor complaints from contributors and pensioners, including those wey dem post for social media, and dem dey immediately investigate genuine cases.
She tok say: “If anybody get genuine issues, make dem bring am to us. Every day, our team dey monitor social media for complaints. Once we identify one, we reach out immediately to establish facts and resolve di matter.”
To further strengthen service delivery, Oloworaran disclose say PenCom dey deploy Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform to create unified system for receiving, tracking and resolving complaints from pension contributors and retirees across di country.
Beyond police pension issue, di Director-General say di commission expect pension enrolment among workers for informal sector to rise significantly within di next two years as reforms wey aim to expand pension coverage begin to take effect. She say PenCom dey lay foundation for dat expansion by digitising registration, simplifying enrolment procedures and licensing Accredited Pension Agents to take pension services to markets, rural communities and other underserved locations.
She admit say di commission initially anticipate faster enrolment under di Micro Pension Plan, but maintain say sustainable growth require strong institutional framework.
Oloworaran also assure contributors say pension assets remain secure despite increased investments for capital market and infrastructure projects. She explain say PenCom investment regulations prescribe strict conditions for all investments, limiting pension funds to financially sound institutions and assets wey satisfy rigorous standards on credit quality, corporate governance and profitability.
She add say di commission regularly conduct compliance examinations and spot checks on Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), while each PFA dey supervise by board investment and risk management committee to ensure adherence to PenCom regulatory framework.
Di Director-General also defend PenCom recent policy wey permit PFAs to invest for parent companies of dia pension custodians. She explain say di restriction originally dey to prevent conflicts of interest, but comprehensive regulatory review conclude say di associated risks minimal. According to her, di revised policy broaden investment opportunities for financially strong Tier-1 institutions like First Bank, Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA), enabling pension funds to benefit from dia market performance without compromising contributors’ savings.
She say: “Di risks dey carefully assess before di decision take. Dese be well-capitalised institutions wit strong track records, and all investments remain subject to PenCom stringent regulatory oversight.”
