The acting Director General of National Pension Scheme (NPS) Mrs Aisha Dahiru Umar has described Pension Scheme as an avenue design to make workers realized their target objectives in life.
According to him retirement from active service is an opportunity to become the personality one has always intended to become but have never been.
Speaking at a Pre Retirement Workshop held yesterday in Kano the Acting NPS DG who spoke through her Representative Mr Malami Bunza the Assistant General Manager Benefits and Insurance of the Commission high lighted that the NPC had decided to organized the Sensitisation Workshop in order to keep the Retiring Civil Servants abreast with the mudus operandi of the Commission and the challenges of life after retirement.
He said it is very important for the retirees to be furnished with all that they are expected to face as challenges during their life after retirement. He pointed out that the lump sum of Money which the retirees would handled has to be invested wisely for fear of mismanagement and misapplication of priorities on frivolity.
Bunza said there are conditions in which the retirees are expected to fulfilled before enrollment citing presentation of Promotion letter, Last pay slip with Grade levels clearly stated and step variations slip are to be made available during documentations.
It include among other documents the Benefit Notification letter, which are to be addressed to the Director General NPC and all submissions of relevant documents which will enable accurate Computation and remittance of employees retirement benefits.
Bunza said that although it is clear that the Commission is facing quite a number of challenges especially the ones that has to do with Limited Public Awareness of the workings of the new Contributory pension Scheme.
According to him, the Different Interpretations of some provisions of the Pension Act by retirees, Comparison of benefits under the old and new Scheme , Comparison of benefits by colleaques on similar positions but with diffrent variables as well as delay of Acrued Rights normally led to the delay in processing retirement benefits as and when due.
The DG drew the attention of the retirees to a Template where it has been stated that “try and define how the future will be different from the past, explore how to spend your retirement benefits, identify the decisions you need to make for your retirement by being motivated and inspired to take bold decisions on your next line of action”.
On the Pension Reform Act he said the PRA 2O14 was designed in order to make Pension administration transparent and seamless. Adding that the Commission had established a uniform set of regulations and Standard for all aspect of Pension administration in the Country..