By Ozioruva Aliu
BENIN CITY – SOME retired policemen in Edo State on Monday protested around some streets in Benin City against their continued stay in the contributory pension scheme which was started in 2004.
They said what they were getting at the end of their retirement was not commensurate with what they and their employer, which is the federal government, ought to have contributed.
Addressing a press conference after the protest, Chairman of the Contributory Pension Scheme, Anthony Nnachor a retired Superintendent of Police said many of their members have lost their lives because of the insufficient funds they are receiving from the scheme after retirement contrary to their expectations.
He said “It has become imperative for us to tell the world the problem we are going through. We are now living in abject poverty and we can no longer meet up with our primary responsibility as parents.
“Majority of us are dieing everyday. What is the main reason? The police in 20O4 established a Pension Act. The serving members of the scheme are supposed to contribute 7%, while the federal government will contribute 8% as at then.
“Which means that you are working for your retirement. It is the money that you have worked they will use to pay you. At the end of your service, they will calculate what we call lump sum and give you 25%. What we want now is for the federal government to exit us from this evil contributory pension scheme.
“The scheme is a killer disease, we have been in this struggle since 2019. The ninth assembly passed our bill and assured us of Justice, but when the tenth assembly came they could not harmonize it, that is where we are today. We have done public hearings several times, the most annoying part of it is that this public hearing had been adjourned indefinitely. We want the National Assembly to pass the bill that has been with them.
“We are calling on President Bola Tinubu to hear our cry and prevail on relevant agencies who are against our exit to remove us from the scheme,” he lamented.
Also speaking, the Publicity Secretary of the association, Comrade Johnson Oyameda appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to help them facilitate the process of exiting from the contributory pension scheme.
Another retired officer in the pension scheme, comrade John Adu stated that police are an act of security in the country and cannot be taken for granted, appealing for transparency and accountability in the process of the pension company.
However, before the retired officers came to address the journalists, they first of all went to some major Streets in Benin City and protested against the injustice in the scheme.
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