Abuja: Retired senior officers of four paramilitary agencies in the country have commended President Bola Tinubu for approving a lifetime salary structure for personnel of the services. The retired heads of agencies gave the commendation when they paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, President Tinubu had approved a lifetime salary structure for retired paramilitary agencies’ Controller/Commandant/Comptroller Generals (CGs) and Deputy CGs. The NIS retired Comptroller-General, Chukwura Udeh, stated that the purpose of the visit was to express deep appreciation to Tinubu through the minister. Udeh mentioned that the lifetime salary approval had been a longstanding issue that previous administrations had not resolved.
Udeh expressed gratitude, noting, “On our behalf, kindly extend our appreciation to Mr. President because this issue that was approved like it is nothing, made us see hell. We were abandoned halfway by other ministers but we will always remember that you have helped humanity.”
Responding, Tunji-Ojo, on behalf of the Federal Government, appreciated the retired personnel for their years of service to the country. The minister emphasized that the wellbeing and welfare of men in uniform will always be a priority for the president. “Mr. President believes in renewed hope, and that it should be a way of life, and you do not just build a nation by building infrastructure, but also by building the people,” he said.
He further stated that no officer should retire into poverty after dedicating their service to the country, underscoring the importance of ensuring the welfare of officers in retirement. “The service is not the way it used to be as it has never been this good for the paramilitary agencies. Look at the pride in our men in uniform, they now wear their uniforms in pride and no longer get belittled,” Tunji-Ojo remarked.
The minister highlighted that the ministry had cleared backlogs of promotion arrears and recently conducted promotion examinations across the agencies. “People can now get to the right ranks at the right time and can predict their career growth, which is very motivating. When you entered the service, you planned to give your best to the nation so the nation should be willing to give you its best,” he concluded.