Tinubu okays lifetime pay for top retirees, says Interior Minister — promos cleared, Fire Academy rising
By: Oluwaseun Lawal
A quiet room. Then a big line. At the 2025 Ministerial Retreat on Thursday, Interior Minister Dr. Olubunmi Tunji‑Ojo said the government is changing how service ends for its top hands: a lifetime salary for senior officers retiring from Deputy Controller, Comptroller, or Commandant‑General and above. Approved by President Bola Tinubu. Signed off, he noted, as a clear welfare boost.
The update came through a statement by DCF P.O. Abraham, NPRO/Head of Corporate Services at the Federal Fire Service, who also passed along the minister’s thanks—Mr. President’s support, he said, is steady, and the agencies under Interior are feeling the Renewed Hope agenda in real time. Wins were listed. The long backlog of promotions were cleared; over 50,000 officers moved up in the last two years.
No small feat. Going forward, progression won’t be by guesswork—capacity and performance will carry the day. The ministry have rolled out new training manuals. Fresh playbooks, not dusty binders. And bricks are already stacking for a world‑class Fire Academy, built to stand shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the best anywhere—think Arizona‑level standards, but on Nigerian soil. Not just skills, he added, but wellbeing too: mental health is on the table, with officers told plainly that support is there and will stay there. He didn’t stop at government alone.
The Federal Fire Service has been tasked to open doors to the private sector—partnerships for kit, for infrastructure, for smarter operations, for modern firefighting that actually meets the moment. Because better gear plus better training plus better minds equals safer cities, full stop. It sounded formal, yes, but also human. A promise to people who serve, and a nudge to systems that sometimes stall. Big move. Bigger expectations. And work already underway.
