Some retired police officers protested at the National Assembly’s entrance gate in the rain in Abuja on Monday.
Protesters are asking that they be removed from the Contributory Pension Scheme.
The protesters, who included senior ex-police officers, brandished placards and sung solidarity songs as they stood in the rain, claiming that their welfare and dignity had been neglected for far too long.
Speaking at the rally, former Chief Superintendent of Police CSP Manir Lawal (retd) urged the government to remove police retirees from the pension program, which he termed 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 downpour, the pensioners refused to leave until the National Assembly’s leadership addressed their concerns.
Security personnel were seen monitoring the rally to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
