A retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, Esther Marcus, has shared her distressing experience of being underpaid after 35 years of service in the Nigeria Police Force. In a viral video, Marcus revealed that she received a gratuity of N1.7 million and a monthly pension of N40,000 after retiring in 2018.
Marcus expressed her frustration with the “dirty contributory pension scheme,” which she claims has left her and many other retired police officers struggling to survive. She emphasized that this issue is not unique to her, but affects all police officers who retired under this scheme.
The Federal Government’s responses to their pleas have been largely ignored, despite multiple public hearings on the issue. Marcus highlighted the inequality within the police force, claiming that senior officers have exempted themselves from this pension scheme.
Determined to continue the fight for justice, Marcus vowed that retired police officers would not stop advocating for their rights. She questioned how she is expected to survive on N40,000, emphasizing that even lower-ranking officers receive as little as N28,000.
Marcus urged the government to reform the pension scheme, warning that anyone opposing this reform is akin to a vulture, waiting for the vulnerable to perish. She emphasized that it is unrealistic to expect police officers to stop engaging in corrupt practices when they know retirement will bring them into financial hardship.
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