Author name: Umar Idris Shuaibu

The House of Representatives has passed a Bill seeking to remove personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), setting the stage for a distinct pension system dedicated exclusively to police officers. The proposed legislation, titled A Bill for an Act to Establish the Nigeria Police Force Pension Board, is designed to create a more effective and transparent framework for managing the pensions and gratuities of serving and retired police personnel. Under the new arrangement, police officers will be exempted from the Pension Reform Act’s contributory scheme and will instead be entitled to 85 per cent of their total emoluments as pension. The move aims to ensure timely and equitable payment of benefits to all retired members of the Force. Read Also: BUK Alumni Celebrate Kankarofi’s Elevation, Describe Him as Pride of 1992 Set The Bill, which now awaits the Senate’s concurrence before transmission to the President for assent, also seeks to amend Section 5(1a) of the Pension Reform Act, 2014, to include the Nigeria Police Force among the groups already excluded from the scheme—alongside members of the Armed Forces and intelligence services. Once signed into law, the legislation will establish the Nigeria Police Pension Board, to be headed by a Director-General—a serving officer not below the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG)—and a Secretary, who must be a senior police officer and a lawyer with at least ten years of post-call experience. The new board will assume full responsibility for administering and paying pensions and gratuities to retired officers, taking over these functions from the National Pension Commission (PenCom). It will also oversee the disbursement of compassionate gratuities, death benefits, and other entitlements to the next of kin of deceased officers. According to Section 14, “There shall be charged on and paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, all such sums of money as may be granted by the Federal Government by way of pension and gratuity in accordance with this Bill.” Section 15 outlines eligibility criteria, stating that no officer shall receive pension or gratuity unless they have served 35 years or reached the age of 60, whichever comes first. It also provides benefits in cases of voluntary retirement after ten years, compulsory retirement, or medical incapacity. The law further provides under Section 17 that a pension granted under this Bill shall not be less than 85 per cent of total emoluments, while additional pensions granted due to injuries shall not exceed 100 per cent of the highest pensionable emoluments during service. Section 19 stipulates that if a retired officer dies within five years of retirement, the next of kin shall continue receiving the same pension for the remainder of that period. Section 21 also protects pensions and gratuities from seizure or transfer, except for debts owed to the Federal Government or court-ordered payments. The passage of the Bill marks a major milestone in addressing the long-standing concerns of police officers over inadequate pension management under the current contributory system.  

President Bola Tinubu has officially sworn in Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The swearing-in ceremony took place on Thursday inside the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), took the oath of office at exactly 1:50 p.m. Dressed in a white agbada with a gold cap, Amupitan arrived at the State House earlier in the day, exchanging pleasantries with dignitaries and guests before the ceremony commenced. While addressing the new INEC boss, President Tinubu urged him to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system and enhance the institutional capacity of the commission. The president said Amupitan must ensure the credibility of future polls by upholding fairness, professionalism, and transparency. Read Also: Tinubu Seeks Senate Confirmation of Bernard Doro as Minister Amupitan’s swearing-in came a week after the Senate confirmed his appointment following a screening exercise on October 16. During his appearance before lawmakers, the 58-year-old law professor outlined plans to reform Nigeria’s electoral process, strengthen institutional independence, and rebuild public confidence in INEC. “We must conduct elections where even the loser will congratulate the winner and say, ‘You won fairly and well.’ When that happens, voters’ confidence will naturally be restored,” Amupitan told senators during his confirmation hearing. He also pledged to prioritise amendments to the Electoral Act, eliminate grey areas in election timelines, and improve transparency in the conduct of polls. Amupitan refuted claims of his alleged involvement in President Tinubu’s legal team during the 2023 presidential election petition, saying, “I never appeared before the Presidential Election Tribunal or the Supreme Court for any of the parties,” stressing his neutrality and independence. Following his swearing-in, the new INEC chairman is expected to assume office immediately and begin the transition process at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. He succeeds Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC chairman ended on October 7, 2025, making him the sixth substantive head of the commission since its establishment.