By Ayodele Oni
Kaduna State Chapter of the Association of Retired Police Officers, has lamented the plight of its members due to delay in the payment of their pensions and gratuities.
It has, therefore, called on the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio to fullfil his promise by exiting them from the contributory pension scheme.
The Chairman of the Kaduna Chapter, CSP Mannir Lawal Zaria rtd made the call in a statement after a meeting with members in Kaduna.
The Senate President had during a protest last year by the police pensioners, pledged to invite the Inspector General of Police with a view of removing the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme.
“But since then, the association didn’t hear any positive response from the members of the National Assembly.
“Since the Senate had already passed the bill to establish the Nigeria Police Pension Board, what is pending is to harmonize the two bills, with the one already passed by the House of Representatives to exit the Nigeria Police from the contributory pension.
”That, is why we are reminding the Senate President Godswill Akpabio about the promise he made.
“This becomes necessary because our living conditions are deteriorating everyday due to the constant increase of commodity prices.
“Our Children have been withdrawn from schools, ranging from primary to tertiary institutions, we can no longer afford our medical expenses and that of our families.
“We can no longer afford normal feeding, sequel to all these, most of us have developed a high blood pressure, to crown it all many of our members are dying day by day.
“Therefore, we are appealing to members of the National Assembly to come to our aid by immediately removing us from the killer contributory pension scheme, before we all perish.”
The association also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to as a matter of urgency order the Director General Pencom to immediately release the 2.5 percent differential into their salary savings account, which has since been approved by the Federal Government.
“The payment of our salary increase, which they missed three times consecutively, as well as the payment of the Federal Government approved palliatives.
“We are appealing to the members of the National Assembly as well as the President to consider our 35 years of meritorious service to the nation, seeing the obstacles and risks that we have escaped while in service.
“But now instead of us to enjoy our pension and gratuity, we are left to suffer under the killer contributory pension scheme that is killing us day by day.”
