When the people tasked with protecting lives are left to fend for themselves, public safety suffers.
That is the warning from civil rights advocate Okechukwu Nwanguma, who says Nigeria’s approach to police reform keeps missing the point, discipline without dignity cannot deliver integrity.
The Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) maintains that treating police welfare as a privilege rather than a right weakens professionalism and fuels corruption.
He observed that police officers often work in dangerous conditions without adequate allowances, insurance, equipment or transport, sometimes funding investigations from their own pockets.
Many face delayed pay, poor housing, limited healthcare and uncertainty in retirement.
Nwanguma described the Police Pension Board Bill passed in December 2025 as a lifeline for retired officers, warning that any delay or alteration before it reaches the President would betray serving and retired personnel.
He stressed that while poor welfare does not excuse misconduct, it creates conditions where abuse and corruption thrive.
Viewing police welfare as a matter of justice, not charity, Nwanguma urged government, police leadership, civil society and the media to fix broken systems, from salaries and healthcare to pensions and housing, alongside accountability.
“A society that neglects those entrusted with its safety ultimately puts itself at risk,” he warned.
