Police Pension Overhaul: Reps Approve Special Scheme for Officers

De-Patriot News Desk

The House of Representatives has taken steps towards improving the welfare of Nigeria Police Force (NPF) personnel by passing a bill that seeks to exempt them from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). The proposed legislation, titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish the Nigeria Police Force Pension Board,” aims to provide a more effective and transparent framework for managing pensions and gratuities of serving and retired police officers.

Under the new arrangement, officers of the Nigeria Police will no longer participate in the contributory pension scheme governed by the Pension Reform Act, 2014. Instead, they will be entitled to 85 percent of their total emoluments as pension upon retirement a move designed to guarantee prompt and equitable payment of benefits and restore dignity to retired officers who have served the nation.

The Bill also seeks to amend Section 5(1a) of the Pension Reform Act to include the Nigeria Police Force among security institutions already exempted from the scheme, such as members of the Armed Forces, intelligence agencies, and secret services.

Once enacted, the law will establish the Nigeria Police Pension Board, which will take over the administration and payment of pensions and gratuities from the National Pension Commission (PenCom).

The Board will be headed by a Director-General, who must be a serving officer not below the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), while the Secretary must be a senior police officer and a qualified lawyer with at least ten years of post-call experience.

Beyond regular pensions, the Board will also manage compassionate gratuities, death benefits, and other entitlements for the next of kin of deceased officers, ensuring a more humane and responsive welfare system.

According to Section 14 of the Bill, all payments of pensions and gratuities shall be drawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, as granted by the Federal Government.

Furthermore, Section 17 stipulates that “a pension granted to any personnel under this Bill shall not be less than 85 percent of his total emoluments,” with an additional clause that any pension granted for injury shall not exceed 100 percent of the highest pensionable emoluments earned during service.

In cases where a retired officer dies within five years of retirement, Section 19 provides that the deceased’s next of kin shall continue to receive the same pension for a period ending five years from the date of retirement, or may opt to collect the balance in a lump sum.

Also, Section 21 protects officers’ pensions and gratuities from seizure or transfer, declaring that such benefits “shall not be assignable, transferable, or attachable for any debt or claim whatsoever, except in cases involving debts owed to the Federal Government or by court order.”

The Bill, which now awaits concurrence from the Senate before transmission to the President for assent, marks a landmark move toward ensuring social security and financial stability for members of the Nigeria Police Force a long-demanded reform within the nation’s security architecture.