… Demand Exit From Contributory Pension Scheme
In a bold display of resilience, scores of retired police officers on Monday defied the rain to stage a protest at the main gate of the National Assembly in Abuja, demanding their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), which they described as unjust and exploitative.
Clad in plain clothes and visibly advanced in age, the ex-officers—many in their 60s and 70s—carried placards and chanted solidarity songs as they stood under the rain, calling attention to what they termed the Federal Government’s prolonged neglect of their welfare and entitlements.
Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved retirees, former Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Manir Lawal (retd.), lamented the hardships many police veterans have endured under the current pension scheme.
“We are here to demand justice. The Contributory Pension Scheme has impoverished us,” he said. “I am 67 years old, and many of us here have dedicated over three decades of our lives to serving this country. We deserve to retire in dignity, not in destitution.”
Despite the heavy downpour, the retirees remained at the protest site, insisting they would not disperse until their grievances were acknowledged and addressed by the leadership of the National Assembly.
Security personnel maintained a visible presence at the scene to ensure the protest remained peaceful and orderly.
Monday’s protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations by retired police personnel, who continue to decry the economic hardships imposed by the CPS and call for a return to the defined benefit pension scheme that guarantees more stable post-retirement income.
