Human rights activist and 2023 African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has called for a significant rise in the salaries of Nigeria Police rank-and-file officers.
Speaking on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief” on Wednesday, Sowore questioned why policemen, who protect senators earning ₦30 million monthly, do not receive at least ₦500,000 per month.
He stated, “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.”
Sowore stressed the salary imbalance: “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?”
He noted, “What is ₦500,000 really? Maybe about $300 a month; that is what some people earn in a day somewhere else, not in Nigeria.”
Sowore further criticized the pension system for police officers, saying, “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.”
Highlighting the challenges faced by officers, he asked, “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 mentioned the planned protest by police officers over low pay, scheduled for July 21, describing it as initiated by the aggrieved security agents who are prepared to strike.
He appealed to Nigerians and especially celebrity entertainers who enjoy police protection to support the protest, adding, “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.”
