Bill to Establish Police Pension Board Passes Second Reading

By Iyojo Ameh

The Senate has passed for second reading a bill to establish the Police Pension Board, which will handle pension matters for personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

This development followed the presentation of the general principles of the bill by its sponsor, Sen.

Binos Dauda (PDP-Adamawa), during a plenary session on Thursday.

Sen.

Dauda stated that the bill seeks to create the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Pensions Board, to be known as the Police Pension Board (PPB), and address related matters. The bill was first read on March 19.

He highlighted that the current pension arrangement for the NPF is under the Pension Commission, as stipulated by Section 5 (1) of the Pension Reform Act of 2014.

Unlike the NPF, other security agencies such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of State Security Services (DSS), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) have established their own pension boards by law, having exited PenCom.

Dauda noted that the inclusion and continued stay of the NPF in PenCom has placed the police at a disadvantage regarding post-service emoluments, despite their critical role in protecting lives and property.

“There is a significant difference between the pension and gratuity benefits of the Nigeria Police and their counterparts in the military,” Dauda said. “For example, the benefit of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) under the current Pension Scheme is N2.5 million, and that of an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) is N1.5 million.

Meanwhile, their equivalents in the Army (Captain), Navy (Lieutenant), Air Force (Flight Lieutenant), and DSS (Captain) are paid N12.8 million and N10.3 million, respectively.

This means that the Nigerian Police Force is receiving only 19.5 percent of the pension benefits of their colleagues in the sister agencies.”

Dauda emphasized that the broad objective of the bill is to ensure equality, equity, and justice in pension payments between the police and other security agencies.

He added that the bill would boost the morale of serving personnel and improve the standard of living for retired police officers.

Sen. Mohammed Munguno (APC-Borno) supported the bill, noting its importance given the role of the Nigerian Police Force in ensuring the security of lives and properties.

He advocated for the police to have the same pension scheme as other security agencies in the country.

Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin (APC-Kano), who presided over the plenary, also expressed support for the bill. He underscored the need to provide police personnel with a pension scheme similar to that of other security outfits, given their essential role in protecting lives and properties, a primary function of the government.

Following its second reading, Barau referred the bill to the Committee on Police Affairs for further legislative input, with a report expected back in four weeks.