Activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore on Monday led a protest over the poor welfare and pension conditions of Nigerian police personnel to the Force Headquarters and later to the National Assembly.
Chanting “Pay police a living wage and proper pensions,” the group brandished placards showing their demands for both serving and retired police officers.
One of the placards titled #Police Protest” reads, “Decent Salaries Now,” “End Police Slavery,” “Pensions for Police Officers,” and “Dignity for Those in Uniform.”
The protesting group, who were not allowed to enter inside Force headquarters, were, however, provided with police escorts as they proceeded to the National Assembly.
At the entrance gate of the National Assembly in Abuja, the protesters demanded their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme.
The demonstrators, comprising elderly ex-police personnel, held placards and chanted solidarity songs as they stood in the rain, insisting that their welfare and dignity had been neglected for too long.
Speaking during the protest, a retired Chief Superintendent of Police, Manir Lawal, called on the government to exit police retirees from the pension scheme, which he described as exploitative and unjust.
He said, ” We are here to ask the government to remove us from the CPS. The pension scheme is exploitative and unjust.
“I am 67 years old. Many of us here are in our 60s and 70s. We have served this country faithfully and deserve to retire in dignity. This scheme has impoverished us. It is our right to demand better,” he said.
Despite the rain, the retirees stood firm, vowing not to leave until their concerns were addressed by the leadership of the National Assembly.
