In a renewed effort to strengthen pension reforms and improve the welfare of retiring personnel, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Pensions Limited has intensified its pre-retirement sensitisation programme for police officers across the country.
The initiative, which recently held in Lagos and now in Kano for officers in the North-West zone, is part of a nationwide exercise targeting personnel expected to retire on or before December 2026.
The programme is designed to ensure seamless access to retirement benefits through early guidance and proper documentation.
Speaking at the regional sensitization seminar, the Acting Managing Director of NPF Pensions Limited, Mr. Abdulkareem Gezawa, emphasised the importance of timely and accurate submission of retirement documents, noting that documentation gaps remain the major cause of delays in pension payments.
Gezawa explained that a significant number of pension funds across the system remain unclaimed due to incomplete or inconsistent records, urging officers to take full advantage of the sensitization exercise to avoid such challenges.
He said that since inception, NPF Pensions Limited has paid a total of N97.5 billion in retirement benefits to 30,370 retirees nationwide.
According to him, death benefits amounting to N39.57 billion have also been paid to 8,847 next-of-kin, while 25,572 retirees are currently receiving monthly pensions valued at over N1.56 billion.
Gezawa reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to the prompt and efficient payment of pensions and other entitlements, stressing that the pre-retirement seminars form a critical pillar of ongoing reforms in the police pension system.
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Also speaking, thr Commissioner of Police in charge of Pensions, Sani Doki Yusuf, said the core objective of the sensitization is to remind officers of the need for proper and early documentation to prevent post-retirement difficulties.
He noted that discrepancies in personal records such as inconsistencies in names and service details have continued to pose challenges in processing benefits, prompting the board to “embark on zonal engagements across the federation.”
According to Yusuf, the exercise covers thousands of officers nationwide, with an estimated 5,000 officers expected to retire within the current year alone.
He expressed confidence that the programme would ease pension administration and enhance peace of mind for both retirees and pension managers.
Welfare-driven Initiative
Force Insurance Officer, ACP Ameh Lydia, described the sensitization as a proactive and welfare-driven initiative that brings pension guidance directly to officers ahead of retirement.
She said the programme reflects the commitment of the present police leadership and the Federal Government to “ending the era of prolonged pension delays for retired officers.”
ACP Lydia noted that officers who retire with complete and updated documentation now receive their benefits within three to five working days, a development she described as unprecedented.
She attributed the progress to strong collaboration between the Office of the Inspector-General of Police and pension administrators, stressing that “outstanding pension cases are largely linked to poor documentation rather than systemic delays.”
The sensitisation programme featured lectures on retirement planning, record updates, insurance benefits and pension processing procedures.
Many of the participating officers expressed satisfaction with the enlightenment, describing it as timely and reassuring.
The ongoing nationwide exercise underscores a broader national push to institutionalise transparency, efficiency and welfare-driven reforms within the Nigeria Police Force pension system.
Lateefah Ibrahim