STAKEHOLDERS yesterday clashed over a Senate motion to exempt the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
They spoke at a public hearing held by the Senate Committee on Police Affairs at the National Assembly in Abuja on a bill to create the Police Pension Board.
The National Pension Commission (PENCOM), pension fund managers, and groups of retired police officers opposed the idea, which was backed by senators, the Nigeria Police Force, and groups of retired police officers.
According to the Inspector-General of Police Alkali Baba, who was represented by Deputy Inspector General Sanusi Lemu in the interest of fostering stronger ties, the police force deserved to have a distinct organization for management and administration of its retiree pensions.
He maintained that when constituted, the proposed board would raise police officers’ morale and encourage them to carry out their duties of preventing crimes dispassionately.
Senator Elisha Abbo, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Ali Ndume, the chairman of the committee, and Senator Dauda Haliru Jika all indicated in separate remarks that the police deserved the same special treatment as the military, which includes a special pension board.
According to PENCOM, the exclusion of police employees from the contributory pension plan would place an additional financial strain on the Federal Government in the form of unaffordable pension obligations.
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