The welfare of retired police officers is set to receive fresh attention in the National Assembly as the House of Representatives considers a bill to establish a Nigeria Police Veterans Commission.
The bill, which has already scaled first reading, is designed to create a lasting system to cater for the health, housing, pension access and general well-being of officers who have left active service, including those retired on medical grounds.
It is sponsored by Hon. Lanre Okunlola, who represents Surulere II Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
This was contained in a bill titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish the Nigeria Police Veterans Commission to provide a national framework for the welfare, healthcare, disability support, rehabilitation, housing, education, family support, social protection, reintegration, and professional engagement of retired and medically retired police officers.”
The document shows that the commission will not take over the duties of pension bodies but will make it easier for veterans to access the benefits due to them.
One of its core mandates is to “facilitate timely access to pensions, gratuities, and other lawful retirement benefits without assuming the statutory functions of pension authorities; provide housing, education, and family support programmes.”
The bill also seeks to “preserve and utilise the professional knowledge and institutional experience of retired police officers.”
To sustain its operations, Section 48 of the bill proposes a Police Veterans Fund, which will finance welfare schemes and other programmes for retired officers and their families.
The proposed legislation also makes provision for serving officers under both federal and state policing structures, as it seeks to create “a national framework for the welfare of police veterans under the Nigeria Police Force and State Police Service established by law.”
