President Bola Tinubu has approved lifetime salaries for retired Comptrollers-General and Deputy Comptrollers-General of Immigration as part of efforts to improve the welfare of personnel under the Ministry of Interior.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed the approval on Friday, while highlighting reforms introduced across the ministry since Tinubu assumed office.
Tunji-Ojo spoke at the closing ceremony of a training programme on border control and immigration management held at the Immigration Headquarters in Abuja.
According to the minister, more than 50,000 personnel serving under the ministry have received promotions under the current administration, alongside improvements in recruitment, salaries and allowances.
He commended Tinubu for addressing accumulated promotion backlogs and taking steps to improve the welfare of serving and retired officers.
Tunji-Ojo said the new arrangement would address concerns over the pensions previously received by retired heads of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
He disclosed that retired Comptrollers-General had previously received pensions of about ₦130,000, which he described as inadequate.
The minister said Tinubu had approved lifetime salaries for retired Comptrollers-General and Deputy Comptrollers-General, marking a change in their retirement benefits.
“It has never happened before, but Tinubu did it,” Tunji-Ojo said, referring to the administration’s welfare interventions.
He added that the President had also approved salary increases and improved hazard and special allowances for personnel serving across the ministry’s agencies.
The minister further disclosed that more than 50,000 personnel under the Ministry of Interior had been promoted since Tinubu took office.
He said the administration had also expanded recruitment, with no fewer than 40,000 new recruits taken in at once, according to his account.
Tunji-Ojo praised the President for addressing longstanding promotion issues and improving conditions for workers across the services under his supervision.
He urged personnel to reciprocate the administration’s support by carrying out their responsibilities diligently and ensuring Nigerians receive satisfactory services.
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“This president has cared for the services more than any president in the history of Nigeria. He has given you his all,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo Highlights Tinubu’s Long-Term Agenda
Beyond personnel welfare, the minister described Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as an effort to build institutions capable of serving Nigerians beyond the lifespan of any administration.
He said the President’s approach was focused on long-term development rather than immediate political gains.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the lasting value of the administration would depend on the strength of the institutions and systems established for future generations.
“President Bola Tinubu has never been about the immediate, but the future. He understands that the most prosperous nations do not boil, cook, and eat their seeds; they plant them,” the minister said.
He added that Tinubu recognised that he would not remain in office indefinitely and was therefore focused on laying foundations that could sustain national development after his tenure.
Tunji-Ojo maintained that personnel across the ministry had a responsibility to support these efforts by upholding professionalism and delivering effective services to the public.