*Go spiritual, give IG 2-week Ultimatum
*Say scheme has left them, families impoverished
*Reveal over 500 members dead from 2007 till date
By JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Police Retirees in Kaduna State have given the Inspector General of Police (IGP) two weeks ultimatum to exit them from the Nigerian Police Contributory Pension Scheme before May 15, 2023.
The Vice Chairman, Nigerian Police Association under Contributory Pension Scheme, CSP Mannir M. Lawal, (rtd) gave the ultimatum yesterday, in Kaduna.
According to him, the contributory scheme has left them and their families impoverished since its establishment, adding that the association has recorded over 500 death from 2007 till date.
While lamenting that their families no longer have respect for them due to over dependency, Mannir disclosed that police officers who retired before the establishment of the contributory scheme are doing well far ahead of them, haven received their entitlement after their years of service.
He further stressed that peradventure the police boss refuses to listen to their plea, they will have no choice than to pack their belongings and storm the Force Headquarters, Abuja so they can have a befitting burial because they can no longer afford to conduct burial for themselves due to the numerous challenges posed on the them by the contributory agency.
He said, “today we have submitted our long awaited case to Almighty God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords and the master of the day of judgement.
“We have presented our case Allah today with the expectation that He will touch the heart of the law makers to remove us from the so-called pension contributory scheme because nobody is above God.
“Secondly we are pleading with members of the National Assembly. They have started a good job which needs completion. Our fear is that their tenure is already coming to an end. So we are appealing that before the expiration of their tenure, they should make sure they exit the Nigeria Police from the Pension Contributory Scheme. (PCS)
“Also, we want to say that enough is enough. The difficulties we are experiencing since the initiation of the PCS is only we that are passing through it that knows the effect. So that is why as from today we are giving an ultimatum letter to the Inspector General of Police that in two weeks time, 15th of May if we are not exited from the contributory scheme we will have no other option than to pack ourselves and our families to the force headquarters and start living there.
“Our reason is that, while we are alive, we are nowhere to be found. When you die, you are a problem to your families before they bury you because of lack of fund.
“So we are of the opinion that if we die at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, we will have a befitting burial. So let the Federal Government know that as from 15th of May, if we didn’t hear anything reasonable, there is no doubt, there is no question mark we are going to start living in the force headquarters so that when we die, the embarrassment from our families will not be there again.
“The first one is What they called lump sum. This grammar we didn’t know it before. We are only acquainted with pension and gratuity. But to our greatest surprised, when this contributory scheme was introduced we began to see something called lump sum.
“This lump sum is a disaster because the way it is, even though you contribute the whole money in Nigeria they will only give you 25% out of that your contribution then they will hold the remaining amount to themselves and be making interest while you are dieing in poverty and your million is being enjoyed by another group of people.
“It’s a great mistake to hold someone’s money who is at the state of death. He is about to die and you are holding his entitlement in the name of contributory pension. You are facilitating his death.
“Instead of the Federal government to give us our entitlement so that we can utilize it, set up a business and use it to take care of ourselves till we die, reverse is now the case. The situation they put us now, retirees are dying every day. When you check, you will discover that it’s as a result of poverty. If they die, they become a liability to their family again because there is no money to bury them and you know burial is expensive.
“If you don’t have money is a challenge. You die also there is no money. How then do they want us to bury our dead if not God that has been helping us. Infact we are in a serious mess
“To worsen our situation, the FG came to our aid with what they called 2.5% initiative. The highest of that money should be 100,000. But to our greatest surprise the organizers of PENCOM splitter the money and put it in our retirement account. So if it’s one year, then you get only 1,000 from inside your money. In fact, we don’t know the offence that Nigeria Police committed. Because we served this country for 35 years.” He said.
He urged the National Assembly to come to their aid before the expiration of their tenure so as to avoid things getting out of hand because that there is no point saving money for someone who is already dying because of hunger.
Also speaking briefly with journalists shortly after the prayer session, SP Felicia Moses (JP) (Rtd) said the situation they found themselves is pathetic.
Reading from the Holy Bible, Exodus 3:7, Mrs. Moses said God is a prayer answering God and therefore anyone who is standing in the way to get their entitlement will receive the judgement of God and will not go unpunished.
