Teachers and staff of Nigerian Police Schools have raised concerns over the government’s failure to pay their salaries for 33 months. The affected teachers, who remained in service after the government extended the retirement age for teachers from 60 to 65, revealed their struggles with severe financial hardships and mounting debts.
While speaking with Chronicles Reporters, the aggrieved teachers disclosed that they were forced to borrow money to survive after their salaries were halted. The situation arose due to complications in implementing the extended service policy.
The five-year service extension, introduced by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, officially took effect on January 1, 2021. Beneficiaries, including teachers in Nigerian Police Schools, as well as institutions under the army, navy, air force, and government universities, have since urged for the policy’s immediate enforcement.
However, while other agencies such as the Ministries of Education and Defence promptly implemented the extension, teachers accused the former Nigeria Police Force Education Officer, DCP Rabi Umar (retd.), of refusing to apply the policy. This alleged inaction, they said, left many police school teachers and their families in financial distress.
In November 2023, the situation seemed to improve as the current Force Education Officer, ACP Ibidapo Oludare, restored the teachers’ salaries. Yet, their accumulated arrears for the past 33 months remained unpaid.
One of the affected teachers, identified simply as Peter, expressed frustration over the unpaid arrears and reported unexplained deductions from their restored salaries.
“When our salaries resumed in November 2023, the arrears were still unpaid. To make matters worse, deductions appeared in the salaries we received. No one has explained these deductions to us,” Peter said.
He further explained that the deductions varied, with some losing as much as ₦40,000 and others around ₦20,000. “This issue began in December, and we are unsure of what to expect in January,” he added.
Another teacher, Mrs. Odi, lamented that her five-year service extension, ending in November 2025, might expire before her arrears are paid.
“I had to borrow money to survive during the unpaid period. Now that salaries are restored, I am repaying those debts gradually. I had hoped the arrears would be settled to clear my obligations, but that hasn’t happened. By November 2026, my extension will end, and the unpaid salaries will render the extension meaningless,” she explained.
Similarly, Mrs. Awo shared her ordeal, stating that she had not received any salary from February 2021 to November 2023. She recounted relying on loans, credit purchases, and her family’s support to survive.
“They promised to pay, but till now, nothing has been done. Even after our monthly payments resumed, the arrears remain unpaid,” Mrs. Awo said.
She also expressed frustration over ongoing salary deductions, saying, “We just accept whatever we see. No one knows the exact amount we’re supposed to receive.”
The affected teachers are calling on the government and relevant authorities to urgently address their plight, restore their arrears, and end the unexplained deductions from their salaries.
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