Stakeholders in the Nigeria Police Force are divided over the proposed establishment of a Police Pension Board.
The stakeholders made their divergent views on the issue known at a public hearing of the Senate in Abuja on Friday.
However, they overwhelmingly supported the proposed move by the Senate for the establishment of Nigeria Police Special Force Academy on the strength of a bill sponsored to that effect by Senator Ali Ndume (APC Borno South).
Stakeholders’ disagreement on the establishment of a Police Pension Board characterised the public hearing held on the bill sponsored for that purpose by Senator Elisha Abbo (APC Adamawa North).
At the public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, while Senators, the Police and groups of Police retirees supported the proposal, the National Pension Commission, Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria and Nigeria Labour Congress among others kicked against it.
The Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, represented by Deputy Inspector General of Police Sanusi Lemu, in his presentation said the Police required a distinct board on its own for management and administration of pensions of retired police personnel in the mode of the Military Pensions Board.
Baba said: “The Police as clearly stated by the title of the bill: ‘Police Pension Board Establishment Bill 2022,’ deserves to have a separate body for management and administration of pensions of its retirees.
“Exiting the Contributory Pension Scheme, being run and managed by PENCOM, is long overdue for the police on account of poor services we are being subjected to.
“The proposed board will boost the morale of police personnel to dispassionately discharge their duties of fighting crimes.”
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Dauda Haliru Jika; Abbo; and Ndume in their separate remarks said the police deserved to be given special treatment being enjoyed by the Military with a special pension board.
But their position was kicked against by the Director-General of PENCOM, Aisha Dahiru, who said allowing the police to exit the CPS will amount to taking the country back to the dark ages of mismanagement of pension fund, which landed the country with N1.6 trillion liabilities in June 2004 when the scheme started.
Also kicking against the proposed board, the Chief Executive Officer of the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria, Oguche Agudah, admonished the committee and by extension the Senate not to legislate liabilities.
Agudah said since the proposed body will be solely funded by budgetary allocations, avoidable burden will be placed on the Federal Government currently battling with N10.7 trillion budget deficit in the 2023 fiscal year.
“We cannot in good faith legislate liabilities,” he stressed.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, hammered on prompt payment of gratuities of retired police personnel or those who die in active service.
Wabba said the proposed Police Pension Board is well envisioned, but the problem is sustainability as regards funding, adding: “The mistake of moving from known to unknown should not be made.”
The Senate Committee on Police Affairs is expected to present its report to the Red Chamber when it reconvenes next week Tuesday.