Retired police officers resident in Plateau State have called on the National Assembly to exit them from numerous pension schemes they are in.
The retirees also called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun to stop interfering in the job of the National Assembly by allowing the lawmakers to facilitate their exit from the pension schemes impoverishing them.
The retirees made the call on Monday in Jos after presenting a letter to the Commissioner of Police in Plateau State, for onward delivery to the IGP.
Speaking to journalists on behalf of the pensioners, retired ASP Sylvanus Basadeimbo, who is the State Secretary of the Retired Police Officers Association, decried the plight of police retirees in the state and country at large.
“We are gathered here to intensify our demand to exit the numerous pension schemes we have found ourselves.
“The reason being that we have been short-changed, our take home is nothing to write about.
“An ASP (retd) receives N30,000 monthly, some N19,000, while an inspector receives between N15,000 and N12,000 as monthly pension.
“If the numerous pension schemes are good, why did the IGP, DIG and AIG opt out?
“Nigeria Police is the only organisation that has many pension schemes.
“For instance, some of us under African Alliance Insurance Scheme, we have not been paid for the past eight months. So, they pushed us into insurance schemes that are not paying us.
“We want to leave this pension schemes, but our stumbling block is the IGP; he doesn’t want us to leave!
“We are calling on the IGP to restrain himself from disturbing the National Assembly, while the lawmakers on their part should go ahead and exit us from these numerous pension schemes that is impoverishing us.
“If the National Assembly cannot exit us from these pension schemes, the IGP, DIGs and AIGs should be returned to our scheme, so that all of us should continue to suffer it together,” Basadeimbo said.
Responding, the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, assured the retirees that their letter would be given to the Inspector General of Police.
“I want to assure you that your letter would be delivered to the IGP, and I’m sure the issues would be resolved,” Adesina said.
IGP frustrating our exit from inhuman pension schemes – Retired officers cry out
