- Interior Minister Tunji-Ojo said President Tinubu approved lifetime salaries for retired Comptrollers-General and Deputy Comptrollers-General of Immigration
- Tunji-Ojo disclosed that over 50,000 immigration personnel received new ranks within three years, ending long-standing promotion backlogs
- The minister made the announcement at a border control training ceremony held at Immigration Headquarters in Abuja on Friday, October 16
Abuja, FCT - President Bola Tinubu has approved lifetime salaries for retired Comptrollers-General and Deputy Comptrollers-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, the minister of interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced on Friday, October 16.
Tunji-Ojo made the disclosure at the closing ceremony of the Specialised Border Control and Immigration Management System Training, held at the Immigration Headquarters in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria reported his remarks.
Source: Twitter
The minister said the decision was a significant departure from what retired immigration chiefs previously received, The Punch reported
"Previously, CGs had a pension of about N130,000; it was not encouraging. But what did the president do? He signed and approved salary for life for CGs and DCGs," he said.
Promotion Backlogs and Recruitment Drive
Beyond pensions, Tunji-Ojo said President Tinubu had resolved long-standing promotion delays that had stalled career progression across the immigration service. He said no fewer than 50,000 personnel received new ranks and offices within three years, describing it as unprecedented.
"It has never happened before, but Tinubu did it. He also increased the volume of recruitment, where we now have no fewer than 40,000 new recruits at once," the minister said.
He added that salary increases and hazard allowances had also been addressed for serving personnel under the administration.
Tinubu Building Institutions for the Future
Tunji-Ojo framed the welfare improvements as part of a longer-term strategy under the Renewed Hope Agenda, arguing that the president's focus was on building durable institutions rather than short-term gains.
"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. What this president is doing is planting the seed so that the future will be abundant," he said.
The minister noted that Tinubu had acknowledged he would not remain in office indefinitely, but emphasised that the institutions being built would outlast his tenure and benefit future generations.
"This president has cared for the services more than any president in the history of Nigeria. He has given you his all. And all he asks from us in the service is to do our jobs well and make Nigerians happy," Tunji-Ojo added.
New Minimum Wage Review: FG Announces Fresh Update
In a related development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the federal government are at odds over the timeline for reviewing the N70,000 national minimum wage, with the labour union insisting that preparations for a fresh round of negotiations must begin immediately.
NLC president Joe Ajaero made the union's position clear in a letter dated October 13, 2026, addressed to the minister of labour and employment, Dr Muhammad Dingyadi. Ajaero rejected the government's argument that starting a new wage review so soon would be premature, citing the original National Minimum Wage Act, 2019, as the legal basis for the labour movement's demands.
Source: Legit.ng