Human Rights Activists Advocate Improved Welfare, Pension For Police

A Human Rights Activist, Omoyele Sowore, has advocated for improved welfare packages for both serving and retired police officers in the country for national development

Sowore, who made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, during a peaceful protest at the Force Headquarters, said necessary measures should be put in place towards ensuring policemen get the desired benefits to effectively discharge their duties of protecting lives and property of all citizens.

He, however, called on President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police to put the necessary legal framework together towards ensuring the welfare of the least police personnel is prioritized.

“Our concern is the wellbeing of the police especially the rank and file both serving and retired and those who are dead but their families are still yet to receive their entitlements.”

“We are demanding for a life insurance policy for all Police officers in this country and should earn nothing less that N500,000 to meet up with the present economic realities.So we are urging serving police men to also join in the fight because you will retire one day.”

“You can not be asking a Police man to be guarding a bank and the bank manager is better paid than the police man protecting the money against robbery also a lawmaker who takes home nothing less than 30m a month but, policemen deployed to their houses to protect them can barely survive.”

On his part, a Human Rights Lawyer Deji Adejanyu who lamented over the age long hardship Police retirees face due to under payment , delayed pension and gratuities called for urgent need to review the police pension scheme for transparency and accountability.

“We are running a country where the people who are safeguarding the country are not well taken care of, so what is the delay working on improving their living condition.Go round the country and see the police barracks, it is nothing to write home about. Deji added.”

Also speaking, one of the leaders of the peaceful protest representing the Police retirees, Mr Taidan Bello appealed to the Federal Government to intensify efforts towards ensuring that the police are well paid with a good pension scheme in line with global best practices.

“Let’s appreciate the Nigeria Police Force who has worked tirelessly in the protection of lives and property of all citizens but, yet under appreciated.This fight is not just for us but, for the entire country so that our internal security can be more guaranteed.

‘I hope that President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector General of Police will stand up to addressing these challenges because Nigeria has the capacity to do so, Bello said.

Some Police retirees drawn from the 36 states of the federation also called on the Inspector General of Police IGP, Kayode Egbetokun to put the necessarily measures in place towards prompt payment of their monthly pension as well as the back log of arrears yet to paid.

Garry Ochigbo, Edited By Grace Namiji