Citing marked disparity in their salaries compared to their counterparts serving with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria police officers have signalled their resolve to commence a nationwide strike on March 26.
The protest tagged “We are tired of negligence” is scheduled to be held at the Eagles Square in Abuja to reiterate their demands to the federal government.
In a document referenced 4001/AJR/NPF/ABJ/VOL 7/188 addressed to the Inspector General of Police Usman Alkali Baba, the aggrieved officers asserted that “strike is the only language Nigerian government understand(s).”
According to the the document, all junior ranking officers have been banned from their duty posts including those attached to politicians on and from the said date.
Among their grouses are “poor salary/welfare, non-issuer of kits/accoutrements, non-payment of duty tour allowances, non-payment of course allowances, poor barracks accommodation, non-promotion as at when due”, as seen in the strike memo.
The protesting officers compared their salary structure with that of their counterparts at the anti-graft agency, EFCC where a level 03 officer earned N280,000 monthly, while a police constable on the same level earned a measly N45,700 barely above the minimum wage.
An EFCC operative on grade level 08 “will smile home with over N490,000 every month,” while a police inspector on the same level earned only N109,200, the document highlighted.
The aggrieved officers demanded that the government should publish the differences between the salaries of both security outfits.
Tax waiver, pension exemption, immediate renovation of all barracks, IPPIS mode of payment remained top on the list of their demands to the government.
Addressing Musiliu Smith, who chairs the Police Service Commission (PSC), the officers asked that personnel promoted since 2015 should be advanced to their next rank.
The IGP has also been asked to “immediately commence the distribution” of two pairs of uniforms to all junior ranking officers of the force.
“No police, no democracy, 26/03/22 is the date, Eagles Square is the venue” reads the concluding part of the document addressed to key figures in the Muhammadu Buhari regime.
