Members of di National Association of Police Retirees don do ogbonge protest for Abuja sake of wetin dem call small amount of money wey dem dey receive as pension and gratuity.
From all states of di federation, di retired officers gada for Abuja, dia request na one tin, for govment to comot dem from di Contributory Pension Scheme.
Deputy chairman of di association, Ilyasu Yahaya Aliyu, tell BBC News Pidgin say im retire afta 35 years of service to di nation and na only 2.5 million naira e receive as gratuity, and N40,000 per month as pension.
“Wetin dat moni fit do for anybodi?” oga Ilyasu ask?
BBC Pidgin tok to plenty of di protesters, including one woman wey retire as Woman Inspector wey say she stay for more dan two years afta retirement bifor she get her gratuity of N1.4 million. Afta dat, her pension na N22,000 evri month.
“I regret joining di Nigeria Police,” she tell our tori pesin.
“I regret spending 35 years of my life serving dis kontri. Look at me now, wetin I fit do?”
Di woman wey say she dey above 60 years old and her husband don die, say na she dey train all her children alone and her last daughter dey for one state university.
“Her house rent for dia na 200,000 evri year, so how many years I go gada 22,000 evri month to fit pay dat rent?” She ask.
Di protesters bin first gada for di gate of Di National Assembly to demand for di lawmakers to amend di law and comot dem from contributory pension, but no official of di national assembly follow dem tok.
Later, di ‘Take it back’ group, led by Omoyele Sowore, a social rights activist wey bin run for president, join di protest, and dem move to di Police Headquarters for Abuja.
Dem carry placards and dey chant song as dem dey waka: “IG Pay police, Tinubu pay police”.
Police officers full along di road, wit dia weapons and riot gears, but dem no dey violent at all.
In fact, na di Police officers dey direct di protesters make dem no disturb di flow of traffic.
However, none of di Police officers gree tok to tori pipo.
One of Di lawyers of di protesting retired police officers, Deji Adeyanju, tell tori pipo say officers wey serve di kontri for 35 years deserve more dan two million naira gratuity and 30,000 monthly pension.
“Our lawmakers, wey some of dem dey serve for just four years, dey entitled to millions during dia service and dia severance pay even pass. Why den we dey pay our retired officers peanuts?”
“Even our late president wey just die, Nigeria take care of am until death, why we dey neglect dis officers? Wetin we dey tell dia colleagues wey still dey for service?” Adeyanju tok.
‘I join police wit 2:1 at 19, notin for me at retirement’
Godwin Tom, wey retire as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) narrate im story of how e bin join police wit joy as a teenager.
“I bin just graduate from di University of Ado Ekiti dat time wit a 2:1 (Second Class Upper Honours). I just dey 19 years old,” e tok.
“I dey happy as I dey join and I use all my strength to work for Nigeria. My records for di Police na excellent. For di courses I bin attend I do excellently well.”
But di Police system e say, no reward di positive energy wey e take join di force.
“I no suppose retire for dis DSP rank wey I bin retire. I spend 11 good years for one rank – sergeant, and anoda six years for Inspector rank. Despite my qualifications as a graduate,” e tok.
But di Police say dem dey make efforts to improve di welfare of dia retired officers.
For statement wey di Police tok-tok pesin Olumuyiwa Adejobi release on Monday, e tok say wetin di retired officers dey ask for no dey di hands of di police authority alone.
“Di hard truth be say, to comot di Police from di CPS (Contributory Pension Scheme) dey beyond di remit of any Inspector-General, as di mata dey deeply woven into a web of statutory mandates, inter-agency protocols, and policy inertia,” Adejobi tok.
But e also explain say as time dey go on, Di benefits for retired police pipo under di scheme go dey improve.
“Officers wey go retire witin di next five years dey projected to receive significantly more favourable pension outcomes dan dose whey dey exit di system now. Dis mean say di longer pesin remain for di scheme, di less likely dem dey to experience di same pension challenges,” Adejobi explain.
Also, di police service commission condemn di protest and say na some bad pipo dey ginger di retirees make dem dey protest.
Ikechukwu Ani, wey dey speak for di commission release one statement on Monday wia e advise di retired officers to “consider di path of dialogue and continuous engagement rada dan confrontation”.
Ilyasu Yahaya Aliyu, tell BBC Pidgin say im retire afta 35 years of service to di nation and na only 2.5 million naira e receive as gratuity, and N40,000 per month as pension.
