Human rights activist and the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has called for an upward review of remuneration of the rank and file of the Nigeria Police.
Sowore, who spoke as a guest on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, said there was no reason policemen should not earn ₦500,000 per month when the average senator they protect “earns ₦30 million per month”.
He said, “We’re concerned about the people who are really doing the work, and it is time for us to be on their side to ensure that they are well paid, well remunerated, and when they are no longer in service, they don’t become paupers.
“I mentioned earlier that an average senator takes home ₦30 million per month, but the senator can’t leave home except they are accompanied by the police. So, why is it that senators are taking home ₦30 million per month, but the policeman cannot earn ₦500,000 per month?
“What is ₦500,000 really? Maybe about $300 a month; that is what some people earn in a day somewhere else, not in Nigeria.”
“But the interesting thing about it is that there is a police pension limited, the company that manages their pension.
“The pension company, an average worker there makes about a million per month, that’s the least that they make, and the people whose pension they are managing are dying of poverty. Sometimes, you just wake up in this country and wonder if anybody is thinking.
“How do you serve a country for 35 years and your monthly salary is, highest, ₦57,000, maybe ₦140,000, depending on your rank? How do you survive in a country where the inflation rate is at 24 per cent, where you have to pay the school fees of your children, and where you have to treat your children if they are sick?” Sowore added.
He said the planned July 21 protest against the poor pay of policemen was chosen by the aggrieved security agents, who he said were ready to down tools.
He urged Nigerians, especially celebrity entertainers who he said enjoyed the protection of the affected policemen, to join the planned protest.
“I know that the ones that accompany celebrities get better pay, they get incentives, but at the end of the day, it’s important that you all step out for the police,” he added.
