My name is DSP Ahmad Yusuf Ibrahim (Rtd.). For 35 years I put on this uniform every morning. I kissed my children goodbye and went out to chase armed robbers at 2 a.m. I carried the coffins of friends cut down in ambush. I did it because I believed a simple bargain: if I kept Nigerians safe, Nigeria would keep me safe when my body gave out.
Today I am not writing as an officer with medals. I am writing as one of thousands of old policemen who feel thrown away. The Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) promised us peace of mind. What it gave us was slow hunger.
1. We Risked Our Lives. We Got Pennies Back.
We call the CPS “contributory slavery” because that is how it feels. Our brothers are dying while they wait for money that cannot buy drugs or pay rent.
This is what 35 years buys you: an ASP receives a gratuity of ₦2.5 million and a monthly pension of ₦30,000, which cannot rent a single room in Kano; a Woman Inspector receives ₦1.4 million gratuity and ₦22,000 monthly after waiting two years, and she told the BBC: “I regret joining the Police.”
This is not retirement. This is punishment for serving.
“Why do we neglect these officers? What are we telling the young ones still in uniform? That honesty and sacrifice lead to hunger.” — Deji Adeyanju, Legal Counsel
2. Some Were Saved. We Were Left Behind.
Government already knows the CPS is too harsh for security work. So they took some people out. Just not us.
The Nigerian Military is exempted. The Department of State Services is exempted. The National Intelligence Agency is exempted. The Nigeria Police Force is still trapped.
We are the ones on the street every day. We take the stones, the knives, the bullets. Senate President Godswill Akpabio himself said the CPS brings “undue hardship” to police.
So I ask: if it is too cruel for soldiers, why is it acceptable for policemen? The message is plain: Your blood costs less.
3. They Cannot Even Find Our Money
This scheme does not just hurt us. It fails at simple arithmetic. PenCom admits nearly ₦30 billion of our contributions are missing — deducted from our pay but not credited to our Retirement Savings Accounts.
Consider that. While we were still serving, they were already losing our money. How will they pay us when we are 70, sick, and too weak to protest?
Employers deduct, then delay or send the money with no names attached. Pension Fund Administrators cannot credit what they cannot identify. So our sweat sits in a “reconciliation account” while we sit at home with empty pots.
That is not a pension. That is a pit.
4. There Is a Way Out: The Police Pension Board Bill (HB 979)
On December 4, 2025, the Senate passed the Police Pension Board Bill. The House passed it in October. This Bill can restore our dignity.
The Bill provides three key reforms. First, the 85% Rule in Section 17 states that no police retiree will earn less than 85% of his last salary as monthly pension. Second, Pay From Source means money comes directly from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, ending the excuse that “government has not remitted.” Third, Family Protection ensures that if a retiree dies within five years of leaving service, his family continues to receive his pension.
This is what the military enjoys today. We are not asking for favours. We are asking for equal treatment.
5. Mr. President, The Pen Is In Your Hand
Your Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Bill reached your desk on March 16, 2026. Nigerians call you the “Listening President.” Sir, please listen to us now.
We guarded your campaigns. We secured your inauguration. Every election Saturday, we stand in the sun to protect this democracy.
We are not begging. We are demanding what Section 173(3) of the 1999 Constitution already guarantees: pensions must be reviewed every five years. Ours has not been reviewed in over ten.
We marched in the rain. We slept at the National Assembly gate. We were chased away by soldiers we once trained beside.
End this with three acts: Sign the Police Pension Board Bill into law. Remove the Nigeria Police Force from the CPS. Return dignity to police retirees.
Mr. President, 35 years of service should not end in a pauper’s grave. If it is good for the Army, it is good for the Police.
Enough is enough. Please, sign the Bill.
Yours in service and in pain,
DSP Ahmad Yusuf Ibrahim (Rtd.)
Pension Justice Advocate
Be the first to comment