The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has taken up the gauntlet on behalf of Nigerian policemen.
Speaking through a statement issued by the Director of Strategic of Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council , Phrank Shaibu, he accused President Bola Tinubu of abandoning the retired ranks of the police through what he described as a broken pension system.
“A government that can deploy police officers to protect the powerful but cannot protect them in retirement has failed them utterly”, Abubakar said the men of the force were now forced to fight for the dignity and security they earned through years of service.
He described as disgraceful the fact that Nigerian police men who risked their lives protecting Nigerians are now reduced to staging daily protests at the National Pension Commission simply to make their legitimate demands heard.
Atiku said the administration’s treatment of retired officers exposed the hollowness of its claims to be tackling insecurity.
“If police officers who served this country must endure humiliation to demand a fair pension, what hope is there for other Nigerians who have spent their working lives in public service?”
“Insecurity cannot be defeated while those who protect the country are denied security in retirement. My Police Dignity Guarantee Plan will ensure that officers who serve Nigeria are properly supported throughout their careers and are not abandoned when they retire.
“We will make Nigeria affordable again and restore dignity to those who have spent their lives serving it,” Atiku said.
Stating that President Tinubu had failed to act on the Police Exit Bill, which, he said had remained on his desk since March, he condemned the government’s undignified treatment of officers..
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He said placemen spend their careers protecting Nigerians, only to be abandoned when they need support most.
He made reference to what he called his Police Dignity Guarantee Plan, stating that it would prioritise the welfare and retirement security of law enforcement officers.
According to him, the plan has made accommodation for the following:
- prompt action on the Police Exit Bill,
- restoring gratuity for police officers and
- ensuring that officers are treated with dignity both during service and in retirement.
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