By ACG James Sunday (Rtd.)
I believe that every uniformed service is unique and indispensable in its assigned roles, responsibilities, and statutory duties. No agency established by an Act of Parliament should be regarded as inferior to another in terms of remuneration, emoluments, retirement benefits, pensions, or gratuity.
No two agencies perform exactly the same functions. As closely related as the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigeria Customs Service are, they perform distinct assignments while complementing one another where necessary. That, however, does not make them the same. Similarly, the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have overlapping responsibilities in certain aspects of civil security, but their statutory mandates are different. The Nigerian Correctional Service and the Police also intersect in the criminal justice system, particularly in the custody of offenders and awaiting-trial inmates, yet their core duties remain distinct. Likewise, the Armed Forces, the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force, share a common military background and structure but have different operational responsibilities.
What is paramount is the national interest and the service rendered by these various institutions in maintaining peace, unity, safety, and the protection of lives, property, and the general well-being of citizens. It is for this reason that there should be no disparity, discrimination, or segregation in their remuneration, retirement benefits, pensions, or gratuity.
I strongly support the concerns raised by retired personnel regarding the years they devoted to national service, their experience, exposure, sacrifices, and the sacrifices made by their families during prolonged absences, dangerous postings, and operational duties. Their concerns over the disturbing disparity in gratuity and pension benefits between military and paramilitary personnel deserve serious national attention.
Service to the nation should not be valued solely by the uniform one wears, but by the risks undertaken, the sacrifices made, the responsibilities discharged, and the contributions rendered to national security and development.
It is important to acknowledge that members of the paramilitary agencies also operate in extremely hazardous environments. Police officers confront armed robbers, terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and communal violence. Immigration personnel secure Nigeria’s international borders, combat trans-border crimes, human trafficking, the smuggling of migrants, irregular migration, and prevent dangerous criminals from entering or leaving the country. Customs officers confront smugglers and other forms of economic crime, while Correctional Service personnel manage dangerous inmates under extremely difficult conditions. Other security and regulatory agencies also perform equally critical responsibilities.
These men and women do not merely sit in offices. They patrol, conduct surveillance, and enforce the law. Correctional officers safeguard custodial centres where criminals, terrorists, kidnappers, and other dangerous offenders are held. Many personnel have lost their lives, sustained permanent injuries, suffered psychological trauma, lost their families, or spent decades away from their loved ones while protecting the country and maintaining national security and public order.
Therefore, the argument that paramilitary personnel have not made comparable sacrifices simply because they are not members of the Armed Forces is neither fair nor sustainable. National security is a multidimensional responsibility, and the military, police, paramilitary organisations, and other security and intelligence agencies complement one another. The failure of any one of these components can undermine the security and stability of the entire country.
There is also an economic and developmental dimension to this issue. Effective border security and migration management protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity, facilitate legitimate trade, curb irregular migration, combat trafficking and transnational crimes, and support national security. Immigration and Customs services also contribute significantly to government revenue through statutory fees and duties. The Police create the secure environment necessary for businesses to thrive and for communities to live peacefully, while other paramilitary institutions contribute directly or indirectly to revenue generation, regulation, public safety, and the enforcement of national laws.
Consequently, retirement benefits should reflect the nature of service, years of service, hazards endured, and responsibilities discharged, not merely institutional classifications or the military-paramilitary dichotomy. Internationally, the standard is to recognise personnel according to the risks and responsibilities associated with their duties, particularly those who protect national borders and those who retire after long years of dedicated service.
This does not necessarily mean that military personnel should have their legitimate benefits reduced. Rather, the appropriate question is: why should equally dedicated personnel in the Police and other paramilitary organisations be left with disproportionately inadequate retirement benefits after 30 to 35 years of service or upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60 years?
Anyone who has devoted more than three decades of his or her productive life to the Nigerian state should not retire into poverty, humiliation, and uncertainty over basic survival. Retirement should be a period of dignity, not a punishment for having served one’s country.
This matter should therefore transcend partisan politics. It should become a national policy issue requiring a comprehensive review of the retirement and welfare architecture for military, police, and paramilitary personnel.
The National Assembly, the Executive, the relevant pension authorities, and the leadership of the affected services should urgently examine the existing disparities and develop a fair, sustainable, transparent, and equitable remuneration framework.
As Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections, this is a legitimate issue that security-sector stakeholders, retired personnel, and professional associations should place before political parties, legislative candidates, and presidential aspirants. Candidates should be required to state clearly what they intend to do about the welfare, gratuity, and pension conditions of retired police and paramilitary personnel.
Those who have spent their youthful years protecting Nigeria deserve more than gratitude after retirement. They deserve dignity, justice, and retirement benefits commensurate with their service and sacrifice.
Our leaders must demonstrate the courage, compassion, and political will to correct this long-standing disparity and ensure that every Nigerian who sacrifices his or her productive years in the service of the nation can retire with dignity.
Service to Nigeria is service to the nation, whether the uniform is military or paramilitary.