At last, FEC approves 20% salary raise for Nigeria Police

Almost a year after #EndSARS protesters demanded improved welfare and increased salary for police, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved a 20 per cent raise.

The salary increment which is part of the federal government’s reformation plans for the force, is expected to take effect in January 2022. 

The Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the week’s virtual FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He said the council also approved the review of police duty tour allowance to six percent as well as the release of N1.2 billion for the payment of uninsured benefits.

He said: “Also approved by FEC is the sum of N1.2 billion for the payment of outstanding allowances. 

“The approval is in consonance of President Buhari’s promise to enhance police personnel pay as demanded by #EndSARS protesters. 

“We have tried to create a situation where their take home pay will be enhanced through the improvement of issues such as duty tour allowance, which has been reviewed from 6% of the new take home pay and council has also approved payment of 1,000,120,170 200 for the payment as outstanding benefits of personnel for uninsured period of 2013 to 2020.

“The sum of N13.128 billion was approved for outstanding death benefits for 5,472 police personnel.”

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Dingyadi, however, said the payment would start after the Auditor-General of the Federation must have scrutinized it.

Also speaking, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said although the pay rise has not been captured in the 2022 Appropriations Bill, a supplementary budget would be raised and sent to the National Assembly for passage and implementation will be backdated to January 2022 after passage. 

 “So you know, this is not provided for in the budget. It just came to Council today. Like the minister said the Auditor General has been asked to review all of this computations that has been done to verify it’s for us to know exactly what needs to be paid. 

“So if we  have, we will go back  to Parliament with the supplementary budget,” she said.