Benin City / Abuja — July 21, 2025 | Naija247news.com — As the Federal Government takes a bold step to tackle poverty through the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) programme, retired police officers in Edo State have raised alarm over what they describe as a “killer” pension policy that has condemned them to lives of misery.
In Benin, scores of retired officers under the National Association of Retired Police Officers Contributory Pension Scheme (NARPO-CPS) took to the streets and later addressed a press conference to decry the failure of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), demanding immediate presidential intervention.
They say the same nation they once served now watches them suffer in silence.
“Some of us receive as little as N25,000 or N30,000 monthly. Even retired Commissioners of Police are not spared,” said SP Anthony Nnachor (rtd), Chairman of the Edo chapter of NARPO-CPS.
He described the pension system introduced in 2004 as exploitative, lamenting that officers who had served the nation for over three decades could no longer afford basic medical care or even feed themselves.
“You contribute 7% throughout your service years, the FG adds 8%, and in the end, they pay you only 25% of your savings as a lump sum. The rest is spread across meager monthly payments,” Nnachor said. “This policy is killing us.”
The group demanded to be migrated to the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), which currently covers military retirees, calling the current structure “fraudulent and unjust.”
“We’ve been lobbying since 2019, with multiple public hearings and bills in the National Assembly, but nothing has changed,” added Johnson Oyameda, the group’s Publicity Secretary.
Their protest coincides with the Federal Government’s unveiling of the HOPE programme — a multi-sectoral initiative designed to boost human capital development across health, education, and governance.
The HOPE Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee, inaugurated Monday in Abuja, is chaired by Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, with co-chairs from the ministries of Finance, Health and Social Welfare, Education, and Women Affairs.
The committee will monitor disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs), evaluate progress across sectors, and ensure policy alignment with national priorities.
Bagudu emphasized collaboration rather than competition:
“We are complementing each other to drive the HOPE project. Our ministry’s role is to coordinate national development plans,” he said.
Dr Assad Hassan, National Coordinator of HOPE-Governance, noted that the National Programme Coordinating Unit (NCPU) would work closely with all tiers of government to ensure smooth execution.
The ministers reiterated that President Tinubu’s administration prioritizes human capital development as a strategic lever to lift millions out of poverty.
Yet, for the protesting retirees, such promises ring hollow as long as their own basic human dignity is eroded by an unjust pension scheme.
Ifeoluwa Okonkwo ✔
Ifeoluwa Okonkwo is a dedicated News Content Editor at Naija247news, bringing over five years of experience in news writing and editorial work. A graduate of the University of Abia State, Ifeoluwa specializes in curating and refining impactful news stories that resonate with readers. Her expertise lies in delivering accurate, timely, and engaging content across diverse topics, contributing to the platform’s reputation for excellence in journalism. Through her leadership, she ensures high editorial standards and an unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity.
View Archive →
