Atiku knocks Tinubu over welfare of police retirees, unveils plan to raise pay, settle pension

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of abandoning retired police officers to hunger, illness and humiliation while serving officers draw down their pension savings to feed their families.

He demanded an immediate answer on the Police Exit Bill and an urgent salary review for serving officers, following the pay increase approved for members of the Armed Forces.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said: “Retired police officers stood at the gates of the National Assembly with their wives and children. Some of those children carried placards pleading for a law that could help their parents survive. Men and women who answered Nigeria’s call for decades are now waiting outside its legislature for Nigeria to answer theirs. Bola Tinubu should be ashamed that it has come to this.

“A retired Assistant Superintendent of Police sat with me and told me his monthly pension is ₦29,000. ‘What would you even buy with ₦29,000?’ he asked. He said more than 120 members of his association of retired officers have died in the last three years. Bola, sit with these officers. Look them in the eye. Tell them how you expect them to live.

“I have not been able to stop thinking about a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police. After years of serving Nigeria, she went looking for work and said she would even clean to survive. One of my media managers later found her begging at the Central Mosque in Abuja. He came straight to me, and we intervened.

“I am relieved that we could help her. But what if my staff member had not recognised her? How many other retired officers are in the same position, with no one to call? Our intervention could help one woman in that moment. It could not give her the secure retirement she earned.

“Bola, she rose to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police. She served this country, yet she was found begging for help. Why did it take a chance encounter for anyone to act? No former officer should have to be discovered in distress before Nigeria remembers what it owes her.

“In Bauchi, the retired Assistant Superintendent saw a former colleague gathering firewood to sell so he could buy food. People still called out to him, ‘Officer.’ Imagine bearing that title after a lifetime of service while searching for your next meal. Nigeria remembers his uniform but has forgotten the man inside it.

“I know serving police officers who have withdrawn 25% of their meagre pension savings to feed their children. Under Tinubu, the price of food, transport and medicine has risen beyond what their salaries can bear. Their pay cannot sustain them today, so they are spending the money meant to protect them tomorrow.

“Tinubu made life expensive, and even the officers he sends to confront armed criminals are being pushed into poverty. We ask them to risk their lives for Nigeria while they wonder how to feed their families and whether their country will stand by them when their service ends. That is a disgrace.

“The Police Exit Bill was sent to Bola in March. It is now October. Section 58 of the Constitution gave him thirty days to signify assent or withhold it. He has given retired officers months of silence. Last week, they stood outside the National Assembly with their families, asking for an answer about the pensions they need to survive. Bola, a bill gathering dust cannot buy food or medicine. Tell Nigerians what you have done with it.

“The National Assembly must publish the bill’s formal status, demand an explanation for the delay and determine the constitutional steps now available. If a vote is required, hold it openly. Let every legislator’s name stand beside the decision. These officers enforced Nigeria’s laws for decades. They should not have to beg outside the legislature for its members to act.

“If this government will not end this disgrace, I will act when I assume office in May 2027. My Police Dignity Guarantee Plan will begin with what Nigeria already owes. We will audit and settle verified pension arrears and gratuity claims against published payment dates. We will establish a pension floor and review it as the cost of living changes. No one who spent decades protecting Nigeria should have to sell firewood to eat or beg to buy medicine.

“We will provide insured healthcare for officers in service and in retirement. An officer injured in the line of duty will receive treatment. A retiree living with paralysis will not be left to pay for care from a pension that cannot feed him. Families of officers killed in service will receive timely support. And when illness prevents an officer from travelling, verification will come to that officer’s home. Sickness must never become a reason to withhold what someone has earned.

“We will review police pay so serving officers can feed their families without drawing down their pension savings. Before retirement, every officer will receive a clear record of contributions and entitlements, a named contact to resolve disputes, and a dependable payment date. We will provide for the Guarantee in the budget and publish what has been paid.

“Police officers have given Nigeria their strength and their years. Those who protect this country must be able to protect their families. And when their service ends, Nigeria must keep its word to them.”