President Bola Tinubu has approved a lifetime salary structure for retired senior officers of Nigeria’s paramilitary agencies, in a move aimed at improving post-service welfare and addressing long-standing concerns over retirement benefits.

The policy covers retired Controller/Commandant/Comptroller Generals and Deputy Comptroller Generals across the Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Fire Service, and the Nigerian Correctional Service.

According to a statement by Alao Babatunde, SA Media and Publicity to the Minister of Interior, it has been widely welcomed by retired officers, who described it as a long-awaited relief after years of advocacy and unmet demands under previous administrations.

This was made known on Wednesday in Abuja when a delegation of retired officers from the affected agencies paid a courtesy visit to Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior.

The delegation, led by Chukwura Udeh, retired Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, expressed appreciation to the President, noting that the policy approval marked the resolution of a matter that had persisted across several administrations.

Udeh said the initiative had been difficult to achieve in the past despite repeated engagements by retired officers. According to him, the policy represents a significant improvement in the welfare recognition of senior personnel who spent decades in service to the country.

“On our behalf, kindly extend our appreciation to Mr President because this issue that was approved made us see hell. We were abandoned halfway by previous administrations, but we will always remember this gesture,” he said.

The retired officers said the development would help restore dignity to career personnel after retirement and reduce the financial difficulties often faced by senior security officials after leaving service.

In his response, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, praised the retirees for their years of service across the country’s internal security architecture, describing their contributions as critical to national stability.

He said Tinubu’s administration is focused on improving the welfare of personnel across security and paramilitary institutions under the “Renewed Hope” agenda.

“Mr President believes in renewed hope as a way of life. You do not just build a nation by infrastructure alone but by building people,” Tunji-Ojo said.

He added that the government’s approach to welfare reform is intended to ensure that officers who dedicate their active years to public service are not left in hardship after retirement.

“You should not, in your old age, regret the decisions of your youthful age to serve Nigeria,” he said, noting that improved welfare remains a central priority of the ministry.

Tunji-Ojo also disclosed that ongoing reforms within the paramilitary services have improved career progression and morale among serving officers. According to him, the ministry has addressed longstanding promotion backlogs across agencies and introduced more regular promotion examinations to ensure merit-based advancement.

He said the reforms were designed to restore professionalism and predictability within the system, allowing officers to better plan their careers and retirement pathways.

“The service is not the way it used to be. It has never been this good for the paramilitary agencies as it is now,” the Minister said.

He added that improved welfare and career structure have contributed to renewed confidence among personnel. He further noted that the government expects a reciprocal commitment from officers in service, emphasizing that national investment in welfare should translate into improved performance and dedication.

“When you enter the service, you plan to give your best to the nation, so the nation should also be willing to give you its best,” he said.