Esther Marcus, a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), has passionately criticized the contributory pension scheme, describing it as “dirty” and unfair to police retirees.
In a viral video that has sparked widespread reactions, Marcus shared her frustration about the contributory pension scheme over what she termed poor treatment after serving the Nigerian Police Force for 35 years.
Speaking candidly, Marcus disclosed that she retired on November 1, 2018, only to receive a gratuity of ₦1.7 million after waiting for over a year. She added that her monthly pension was set at ₦40,000, a figure she described as grossly inadequate for someone who dedicated decades to national service.
“My name is Esther Marcus, a retired DSP of the Nigerian Police Force. I joined the force at age 16 and served for 35 years. After serving for 35 years… I waited for over a year before I was given ₦1.7 million. Then, after waiting another three months, they started paying me ₦40,000 monthly,” she said.
Marcus alleged that the federal government has repeatedly ignored the plight of police retirees despite several public hearings and appeals. She pointed out a stark disparity in how retirees from other security agencies, such as the Nigerian Army and Department of State Services (DSS), are treated, noting that they do not endure the same challenges under the contributory pension scheme.
“This struggle has been ongoing for over 10 years now,” she lamented. “The government is aware of what we’re going through. They’ve held about three or four public hearings on this case. But when the Army, DSS, and other paramilitary forces retire, they don’t go through this suffering.”
The former police officer urged fellow retirees to take their grievances directly to the National Assembly, calling for a massive protest to draw international media attention. According to Marcus, such action is necessary to force the government to act.
“We will not stop fighting. What we are planning now is to go and occupy their National Assembly and call CNN to cover the whole programme. Anyone who is against us will not escape from this evil bondage. Those who refuse to exempt the police from this dirty scheme are vultures—they wait for victims to die before feeding on them,” she declared passionately.
Watch the video below;
https://x.com/thecableng/status/1875269380038390037?t=Py-wiuvMj5DozilqFROzmQ&s=19
Marcus concluded her outcry with a stark warning: poor treatment of police retirees would only encourage corruption within the force. “When you know a policeman is heading into hell upon retirement, you expect him to stop corruption? They will continue collecting, extorting, and enriching themselves by any means because survival is at stake.”
