The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has proposed a 200 per cent gratuity and pension for retired police officers. He spoke to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja. He said the proposal is before a Presidential Committee set up to examine police concerns. The committee includes the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the Budget Office and the National Pension Commission.
The police pension has been a crisis for years. Retired officers have repeatedly protested delayed payments, poor benefits, and administrative bottlenecks. In 2021, retirees blocked the National Assembly in Abuja. In 2023, similar protests disrupted traffic in Lagos. The Contributory Pension Scheme has been a particular grievance. Serving officers have demanded to exit it. The government has cleared some backlogs and introduced increments. But the underlying complaints persist. The 200 per cent proposal is the latest attempt to resolve them.
Disu said the proposal aims to address recurring protests by serving officers seeking to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme. Under the arrangement, eligible officers would retire on a pension linked to their last salaries, alongside the enhanced gratuity. The package also covers officers who retired before the new framework. Their benefits would be reviewed in line with the revised terms.
Disu said President Bola Tinubu’s intervention has raised expectations. The Federal Government has cleared a backlog that left some retirees waiting up to two years. It has introduced pension increments. “Some beneficiaries currently receive almost double their previous payments,” Disu said. The committee will recommend measures on outstanding liabilities, funding and benefit administration. It will also propose a framework to improve coordination among the institutions responsible for policy, funding and administration.
Disu was careful to qualify the proposal. He said the 200 per cent gratuity should not be regarded as approved or an existing entitlement. The final outcome depends on the committee’s deliberations, government approvals, funding arrangements and implementation guidelines.
Winners: Retired police officers, if the proposal is approved. Serving officers seeking to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme. The police force, which gains morale. The government, which addresses a long-standing grievance. Losers: Taxpayers, who fund the package. The treasury, if the cost is high. Critics who see the proposal as unsustainable. Officers who retired before the framework, if their benefits are not fully addressed.
Bottom Line: A 200 per cent gratuity is a proposal, not a policy. It awaits the committee and approvals. Police pension has been a crisis for years. The IGP’s proposal is ambitious. Delivery is the test.