IGP Disu Proposes 200% Gratuity, Better Pensions for Retired Police Officers

By: Tunji Okunlola

Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has proposed a 200 per cent gratuity and improved pension benefits for retired police officers, as part of efforts to overhaul the force’s retirement system.

Disu told journalists in Abuja on Sunday that the proposal is before a presidential committee set up to examine pension concerns within the force and recommend lasting solutions.

He said the plan is meant to improve retirement benefits for personnel and tackle long-standing problems with the current arrangement.

According to the IGP, the committee draws members from the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the Budget Office of the Federation and the National Pension Commission (PenCom).

Under the proposal, eligible officers would get pension benefits tied to their last salaries, together with an enhanced gratuity. Disu said this is expected to address repeated protests by serving officers who want to leave the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), a contentious issue within the force.

“The initiative is aimed at resolving the outstanding pension liabilities, providing more adequate retirement benefits and creating a more efficient pension administration system,” he said.

The IGP said the reforms would also reach officers who retired before the new framework takes effect, with their benefits reviewed under the revised terms instead of the changes applying only to future retirees.

He credited President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the police pension crisis for renewed expectations among retirees, who had long complained of inadequate benefits, delayed payments and administrative bottlenecks. Timely access to benefits matters especially for pensioners struggling with household expenses and medical bills amid rising living costs, he said.

Disu said the Federal Government had cleared a backlog that previously left some retirees waiting up to two years, and had introduced pension increases. Some beneficiaries now receive almost twice their previous payments, he added.

“Our engagement with the presidency, PenCom and other relevant institutions is important to sustaining the reform momentum,” he said.

The committee is expected to recommend measures on outstanding pension liabilities, funding arrangements and benefit administration, and to improve coordination among the institutions responsible for pension policy.

Disu stressed, however, that the 200 per cent gratuity and related changes have not been approved. He said they remain subject to the committee’s deliberations, government approvals, funding arrangements and implementation guidelines, and that its final recommendations will decide whether they are adopted.