By JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Association of Retired Police Officers, Kaduna State Chapter has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to as a matter of necessity, assent to the police pension bill passed by the immediate past 9th Assembly.
The retired police officers made the call in Kaduna, through its Vice Chairman under Contributory Pension Scheme, CSP Mannir Lawal, (Rtd) on Wednesday, during a prayer session held for Nigeria and the new government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
It would be recalled that the retired force personnel had written severally to the lawmakers demanding exemption from the police contributory pension scheme, a programme they claim, has impoverished them and their families.
The 9th Senate upon leaving the office in June, proposed the payment of 75 per cent to retirees as lump sum upon attainment of retirement age, a decision made while considering a bill seeking to bring respite to distressed Nigerian retirees.
Lawal said hope was rekindled for most of their colleagues who were ill upon hearing that the bill has been passed by Senate and they are waiting for the approval of Mr. President so that they can get their money and take proper care of themselves and their families.
The chairman further lamented that the contributory scheme has done more harm to them than good, adding that the association has recorded not fewer than 500 deaths from 2007 till date, due to the economic hardship posed on them by the contributory scheme.
He said they have hope in the Tinubu-led administration, following some critical steps the new government has taken barely one month in office.
They urged the president not to listen to the pension operators or any other advice from external forces, stressing that as a former two-term governor and lawmaker, he understands the plight of people on such condition and so they will continue to pray for him to succeed as the 16th president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
