IGP Asserts Police Will Remain in Contributory Pension Scheme

• Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, opposes Nigeria Police Force officers’ push to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme, citing force’s best interests
• Despite a bill to establish a Police Pension Board, the IGP emphasizes the force’s commitment to remain in the CPS

Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has rejected the agitation by both serving and retired officers of the Nigeria Police Force to exit the current Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), emphasizing that such a move is not in the best interest of the force.

Despite passing a bill in the last National Assembly to establish the Police Pension Board and transition the police out of the contributory scheme, the IGP maintains that remaining in the CPS aligns with the force’s optimal interests.

The proposed bill sought to exempt the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) from the CPS, reverting to the old Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), overseen by the newly established police pension board, similar to arrangements in other security agencies.

Senator Elisha Abbo sponsored the bill, arguing that the NPF, despite being a premier law enforcement and security agency, remained under the Pension Commission’s jurisdiction, unlike other security agencies that had their pension boards.

While the bill passed the Senate in June, former President Muhammadu Buhari declined assent, considering the potential increase of N2 trillion in the government’s pension liabilities. The IGP’s stance reinforces the decision for the police to continue operating within the existing Contributory Pension Scheme.

Despite calls for the bill’s reintroduction in the 10th Senate, the Inspector General of Police’s rejection signals a commitment to maintaining the current pension arrangement for the Nigeria Police Force.

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