Well now, valued audience, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has just given his approval to a policy that would make a king envious. The esteemed Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo made the announcement at what they call a "Ministerial Retreat" in Abuja, beaming with satisfaction.
What's the hullabaloo, you ask? Why, it's about ensuring that certain government officials will never stop collecting their entire compensation until the final curtain falls. But heed this observation - this luxurious arrangement ain't for ordinary civil servants.
Certainly not! This special treatment is reserved for those fortunate souls who retire at the elevated positions of Deputy Controller, Comptroller, or Commandant-General in agencies under the Ministry of Interior.The official reason – and I convey this solemnly – is to ensure these fine folks don't retire into poverty. Fancy such concern! As if a high-ranking official with decades of government service would be reduced to begging.
This interesting measure comes alongside other improvements including clearing a pile of over 50,000 pending promotions and establishing what they're calling a "world-class Fire Academy" to match the one in Arizona. Progress marches on, or so they claim.
I've seen many a government concoct methods to compensate their ranks, but this lifetime salary arrangement beats all. Any thinking person would ask: Why not extend such magnanimity to each civil servant? Or better yet, to the regular people whose money pays these salaries?
The contrast with other civil workers remains stark as midnight. Many a police retiree still wait years for pensions that amount to a pittance.As I conclude this account, I must return to our topic: the lifetime compensation of Nigeria's senior officers. This August 2025 decision reveals encyclopedias about the concerns of those who rule. And that, my friend, is a reality worth reflecting upon long after you've concluded this article.
