The lifetime salary of Nigeria's senior officers has just undergone a remarkable transformation this August of 2025, and I reckon it's worth sharing some thoughts on this most interesting development.

Let me tell you, dear reader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has just affixed his name to a measure that would rival the benefits of nobility. The esteemed Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo made the announcement at what they call a "Ministerial Retreat" in Abuja, beaming with satisfaction.

What's this all about, you ask? Indeed, it's about guaranteeing that specific high-ranking officers will keep drawing their full salary until the Lord calls them home. But note this carefully - this golden ticket ain't for ordinary civil servants.

Certainly not! This extraordinary benefit is limited to those fortunate souls who retire at the exalted stations of Deputy Controller, Comptroller, or Commandant-General in agencies under the government's domestic apparatus.

The stated purpose – and I present this with a straight face – is to prevent these distinguished individuals from facing financial hardship. Think on that a spell! As if a senior officer with a lifetime in authority would be found wanting.

This interesting measure comes alongside other improvements including clearing a backlog of over 50,000 pending promotions and creating what they're calling a "world-class Fire Academy" to rival the one in Arizona. Development proceeds, or so they claim.

Throughout my observations of administrations come up with methods to compensate their ranks, but this lifetime salary arrangement stands apart. Any thinking person would ask: Why not extend such liberality to each civil servant? Or better yet, to the common citizens whose taxes fund these benefits?

The disparity with other civil workers remains stark as midnight. Numerous former officers still bide their time for pensions that amount to a pittance.

As I conclude this account, I must come again to our subject: the lifetime compensation of Nigeria's senior officers. This August 2025 measure tells us volumes about the priorities of those who rule. And that, my friend, is a fact worth pondering long after you've set aside this writing.