Because police officers should rethink to withdraw from the contribution pension regime

The recent agitation by some service officers of the Nigeria Police Forces trying to get out of the pension regime contribution (CPS) and to return to the old regime of defined benefits (DBS) has generated significant attention, disputes and discomfort both in the security and political clubs.

While the frustrations behind these calls are understandable, especially in a country where pensioners have historically suffered under broken systems, we must interrogate the causes of the root, reflect on the tests and choose the regression.

As articulated by the National Association of Pension of the Police Agents of Nigeria (Narpon) in a recent press conference, the clamor to abandon the CPS in favor of the DBS is not only out of place but also of long -term risks. Their intervention is timely and authoritative, rooted in the experience and offers a roadmap that deserves serious attention.

Many of the complaints about the payments of low pensions are, in reality, the reflections of the inadequate salaries during the service. A fundamental truth of the pension administration is that your pension benefit is a function of your salary. You are under the CPS or the DBS, you do not expect a large pension from a small salary base. Until this fundamental problem is addressed, until the Nigeria police receive a competitive remuneration, the pension administration method is simply a secondary concern. So, rather than fixing the dismantling of an entire framework, police officers and their supporters should redirect their energy to guarantee wage reviews, enhanced allowances and better career assistance systems.

Let’s not forget because Nigeria has moved away from the scheme of benefits defined in the first place. The DBS has been full of corruption, bad management and chronic delays in pension payments.

Many retired officers have spent years to pursue pensions that have never arrived. It was a system that died of hunger those who had served their country. The CPS, introduced through the Pension Reform Act 2014, has brought a new order, financed pensions, legal protection, transparency and, above all, sustainability.

The CPS is not perfect, but it is significantly better than the chaos and despair of the DBS era. He asks for a return to the old system to throw the child out with the bathroom water.

On June 18, 2025, the National Pension Commission (Pencom) announced a central revision upwards of pension payments pursuant to CPS. This development shows that the CPS is flexible, able to respond to the economic realities and sensitive to the concerns of pensioners.

In addition, Pencom recommended a 100% full -tip payment at the retirement point for pensioners in the public sector. This is another step that, if implemented, would facilitate the transition to pension and relieve immediate financial pressure. These are not characteristics of a rigid or indifferent system; They are the markers of a dynamic and evolving.

An incredible ₦ 758 billion of pending pension deficiencies for security agencies is currently awaiting approval by the National Assembly. Once provided, this will significantly improve the retirement services of many officials, both retired and in service. Instead of asking for the exit from the CPS, the police hierarchy and the interested parties should intensify lobbying efforts for the immediate release of these funds. This singular action could fill most of the gaps currently existing in the system. It would be a larger and more practical approach than to undertake a risky revision.

Narpon’s proposals are pragmatic and guided by the solution. Among these is a call to increase the contribution of the Federal Government to the pension savings account (RSA) of police officers from 10% to 20%. Together with the contribution of 8% existing of the same officers, this would increase the total monthly contribution to 28%, a substantial step to ensure decent retirement services.

In addition, the suggestion of establishing an additional program for pension benefits pursuant to the provisions of the Nigeria Police Act 2020 is crucial. Institutions such as CBN, NNPC and NICT have successfully implemented these additional patterns. Police forces have its own revenue flows generated internally and should use them to provide further financial security levels to its officers.

Narpon urged the government to provide special budget provisions for the increase in police pensions. Given the unique dangers and police sacrifices, this call is not just right, but it is urgent and necessary.

While protests can be a legitimate tool in democratic defense, the decision of some officers to threaten a mass protest on this problem is reckless and potentially dangerous. The police are not just another work forum. They are custodians of the law, order and national security. A protest on the pension administration, especially if it goes out in industrial action or mass discontent, risks eroding public trust and could destabilize national security. Instead, Narpon’s request for calm and constructive dialogue and political commitment must be listened to. Politicians, civil society and the media have the responsibility of amplifying this balanced perspective and helping to frame an approach oriented to reform to police pension problems.

What the police need is not an escape route from the CPS but a renovation of its implementation to reflect their unique realities. This includes an increase in the employer’s contributions, the release of due rights, the introduction of additional pension schemes and the guarantee of pensioners to obtain the full mance and decent post-service care.

In times like these, it is easy to give in to frustration. But we must resist the temptation to dismantle what has been scrupulously built.

The CPS, despite its defects, offers a path to the stability and sustainability of pensions. Abandoning it would be a step back and expensive. We force what works. Let’s solve what does not do it. But above all, we do not go back to a past that we know too well and from which we once have desperately tried to escape.

Lagbaja is a political analyst and a public affairs commentator.