Retired top-ranking officials from four paramilitary organizations have lauded President Bola Tinubu for greenlighting a lifetime salary structure for service personnel.
On Wednesday in Abuja, these former agency heads paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The delegation comprised retired senior officers from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Fire Service (FFS), and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
According to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the President’s approval ensures a lifetime salary for retired Controller Generals, Commandant Generals, Comptroller Generals (CGs), and their deputies (DCGs).
Former NIS Comptroller-General, Chukwura Udeh, explained that the visit was intended to convey their profound gratitude to the President via the Minister.
Udeh noted that the struggle for this salary approval had persisted through several past administrations without resolution.
“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 half way by other ministers but we will always remember that you have helped humanity,” he said.
In his response, Dr. Tunji-Ojo thanked the retirees for their dedicated years of national service, emphasizing that President Tinubu views the welfare of those in uniform as a top priority.
“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 does not see your welfare as a slogan but a way of life; It is the least of what you deserve because you have sacrificed the better part of your years. We must never allow you, in your old age, to regret the decisions of your youthful age to serve Nigeria,” he said.
The Minister asserted that no officer should face poverty after a career of hard work, stressing the necessity of post-retirement security.
“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,” Mr Tunji-Ojo said.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the ministry has resolved outstanding promotion arrears and recently conducted fresh promotion exams.
“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 wiling to give you its best,” the minister said.
Among the attendees were former NSCDC Commandant General Abdullahi Gana and ex-FFS Controller General Abdulganiyu Jaji, along with other retired heads of service.
