Category: Pension

EESIE: My name is Esie. I recall that two years’ consequential arrears of pension were paid in four instalments. The first instalment of nine months was paid. The second instalment of another nine months was also paid. The third instalment of three months was not paid. The fourth instalment of three months was paid in June.

I, therefore, ask that the omitted three months’ arrears be paid.

PTAD: The complaint is being attended to.

UMARU: My name is Umaru. I wish to inform you that my June 2022 pension has not been paid. Kindly help me.

PTAD: Complaint is being attended to.

NDAMA: My name is Ndama. I have not received my June pension while others have got theirs.

PTAD: Complaint is being attended to.

SURAJU: Dear Omobola, I saw your response to my request in The Nation of Wednesday July 6, 2022 where you wrote that PTAD said they are recomputing my matter. Why? Well, thanks for your efforts and please help me keep it in view.

PTAD: Pensioner has been reinstated to payroll.

DUROJAYE: I am Durojaye. My complaint is that I was short-paid by N4,261.17 since 2014 for my federal pension share. Kindly help me.

PTAD: The complaint is being attended to.

ABDULLAHI: I am Abdullahi from Jos Plateau State. My father was a staff member of the Ministry of Defence, Civilian Unit for 16 years before he died in 1995. I have attended various screenings and verifications and the last one was in Jos in 2017. I have submitted the required documents for the payment of gratuity and pension benefits as a Next-of-Kin (NOK), but up to no avail. In 2020, I was called by PTAD to submit some documents, including bank account details. I did. In your publication of my case, PTAD is asking for my verification number, which I scanned and sent since then. I hope Omobola will assist me.

PTAD: NOK should provide deceased name and bank statement.

SGT SABURI: My uncle, retired Sgt. Alamu of the Nigerian Army, has not been paid pension since August 1999. Please, we need your intervention. We sincerely appreciate your services to pensioners. Kindly look into my uncle’s matter.  His pension was abruptly stopped in August 1999.

PTAD: Pensioner is advised to submit career documents for review

AYOOLA: The compliment of the season to you and your family. Please assist me as regards my pension allowance.  I didn’t see my pension for October, November and December 2021. Please help correct the anomalies. I retired in 2000. I attended the verification at Osogbo. The arrears of harmonisation were paid to me three times this year. Do everything within your power for me.

In addition to my previous complaints, despite my appeal to PTAD TO PAY my pension arrears, instead PTAD removed my name from the payroll with one circular letter, while others in the same category are still enjoying the benefits. For God’s sake, I am an old man and I use the money to buy drugs monthly. This has stopped since then. Please find solutions to my issue. Thank you.

PTAD: Mr. Ayoola should please provide detailed bank statement from period of complaint till date

AJIA: Good day, I retired as a Nursing Sister in 1994 from the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). I have forwarded the required documents after verification by the head of Pensions UPTH to Abuja. I also wrote a letter and sent it through DHL to the Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate. After which I received a call from Lagos that I should be expecting a mobile capture at Owo, Ondo State this October. But till date, no one has come to me. Note that I was last paid on September 30, 2020.

PTAD: Kindly scan and send your service documents, medical certificate, bank statement and BVN slip to complaints@ptad.gov.ng for further processing

UMARU: My name is Umaru. I have not received my arrears, though others have got theirs. Thank you.

PTAD: Kindly state the period of the arrears you are requesting, so would be able to investigate and take further actions.

ONOH: My name is Onoh.  I am from Cross River State. I retired from the Ministry of Public Utility on May 6, 2004. This is a reminder on my call for help on the non-payment of gratuity and monthly pension.

I humbly beg you to help me solve this problem and the 75 months’ pension allowance, which has lingered for years, despite my complaints at several pension verification exercises.

I was placed on pension payroll in September 2010, leaving 75 months behind.

Thanks, in anticipation of your kind support.

PTAD: Bank statement is required from May  5, 2004 to date.

FLORA: I retired from the University of Port Harcort Teaching Hospital (UPTH).

My pension allowance was stopped since October 2020 due to my absence during verification. I have done the verification, yet no payment. Please help me.

PTAD: Complaint is being attended to.

PROF.OMOSINI: I ‘Am Alive’ confirmation. Many thanks for your cautionary SMS of June 27. I intend to carry out the exercise this week. We appreciate your care for pensioners.

PTAD: We are pleased to say that his case has been resolved

OFOEGBU: My name Ofoegbu. I enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force in 1988 voluntarily as a CPL. I retired in 2002 and was paid gratuity in 2003. But for over 20 years, I have not been paid pension. Please help investigate why IGP and Linus at PTAD refuse to pay my monthly pensions.

PTAD: The department has drafted a letter, informing the solicitor to advise the pensioner to forward the required documents for validation to enable us schedule him for verification.

BEST: My name is Best, SOP retired. I retired in 2006. My complaint is on the short-payment of gratuity and pension. Table “B”268 per cent was used to compute my money instead of 420 per cent for 31 years’ service. Gratuity paid was N1,665,569.08.

PTAD: Pensioner is on overpayment recovery.

OMOASIGHE: My name is Omoasighe. I have not received my gratuity and pension. Please help me. I retired in August 2020. Thank you.

PTAD: Pensioner is not under PTAD purview. Pensioner worked under Local Government.

WILLIAMS: I have not been receiving my monthly pension allowance since October 2021. I was paid last last September 29. I will be very grateful if this issue is corrected and the arrears is paid up to date.

PTAD: Local government employees, not qualified for pension under PTAD

ESIE: My name is Esie. Two years’ consequential arrears of pension were paid in four instalments. First instalment of nine months was paid to me. Second instalment of another nine months was also paid. The third instalment of three months was not paid. The fourth instalment of three months was paid in June 2022. I, therefore, ask that the omitted three months’arrears be paid to me.

PTAD: Complaint is being attended to.

UMARU: My name is Umaru. I wish to inform you that my June , this year’s pension has not been paid to me. Kindly help me.

PTAD: Complaint is being attended to.

NDAMA: My name is Ndama. I have not received my June pension while others have got theirs.

PTAD: Complaint is being attended to.

SURAJU: Dear Omobola, I saw your response to my request in the paper of Wednesday July 6, 2022, where you wrote that PTAD said they are recomputing my matter. Why? Well, thanks for your efforts and please help me keep it in view.

PTAD: Pensioner has been reinstated to payroll.

DUROJAYE: I am Durojaye. My complaint is on short-payment N4,261.17 since 2014 for my federal pension share. Kindly help me.

PTAD: Complaint is being attended to.

ABDULLAHI: I am Abdullahi from Jos Plateau State. My father was a staff member with the Federal Ministry of Defence, Civilian Unit for 16 years before he died in 1995.

I have attended various screening and verifications and the last one was in Jos in 2017. I have submitted the required documents for the payment of gratuity and pension benefits as a Next-of-Kin (NOK), but up to no avail.

In 2020, I was called from PTAD to submit some documents, including bank account details which I did.

From your publication of my case, PTAD is asking for is verification number which I scanned and sent since then. I hope Omobola will assist me.

PTAD: NOK should provide deceased name and bank statement.

YAKASAI: Good day and thanks for the assistance you are rendering to humanity. My complaints are about the death benefit of my brother who died in active service at the HOCSF office on May 24, 2016 . His pension manager is Sigma Pension Limited. All documentation has been done, but up to till date, no payment has been made to his next of kin.

When we contacted the PenCom office in Kano, they kept saying he is in Batch 109. This was since last year. Kindly find out what the issue is and why PenCom have not approved his payment to his next of kin for six years? The family is suffering too much. Looking forward to hearing from you.

PENCOM: Exercise patience, processing on.

ANNONYMOUS: Hello, my name is Akera. I went for my pre-retirement exercise scheduled for July 8, 2019 in Lafia, Nassarawa State and was registered. I retired on July 6, 2020 from the Federal Ministry of Education. Unfortunately, I went to process it at the Stanbic IBTC office in Makurdi, Benue State where I discovered another PIN was created without my knowledge.

Three years after my retirement, I was not paid anything because of my dual PINs issue. I had so many captures and applications on this issue to no avail. I have health challenges. Fortunately, the money, like my accrued right, is in my genuine account. With Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers. The National Pension Commission (PenCom), please help me. God bless.

PENCOM: All contributions have been reconciled into the valid PIN account with Stanbic IBTC. Visit Stanbic IBTC for more details.

DR SAHABI:  Hello, I am writing to complain about my husband Dr Sahabi’s case. He died in 2013 but his pension is yet to be paid. His PFA is Pal Pension. He worked at FMC. Thank you.

PENCOM: Send RSA details.

INSPECTOR MADUFOR: Good day, I retired in 2017. Kindly advise me on action to take for my pension to be paid.

PENCOM: Send RSA details.

UWEM: Good day, my uncle, Mr Godwin was a teacher at Poly Staff School, Ibadan for years. He was retired five years ago without any gratuity. At present, he is languishing; he has turned into a street beggar and his children roam the streets of Ibadan in search of what to eat every day. Every effort to meet the PROVOST of Ibadan Polytechnic proved abortive. Please sir, how can you help to save the elderly man and his suffering children?

PENCOM: Please provide your uncle’s PFA and RSA PIN details to enable the commission to investigate further.

ANONYMOUS: Good day, I would like to know how long it takes to get PenCom’s approval for the payment of accrued rights for someone who died in active service.

PENCOM: Please note that payment of accrued rights of deceased employees of treasury-funded MDAs are subject to the release of funds by the Federal Government.

ADETUNJI: Good day, my daughter just got a job and she was asked to open a Retirement Savings Account. Please, how do we go about it? Thank you. Adetunji from Ibadan.

PENCOM: Please visit the commission’s website at http://www.pencom.gov.ng for a list of Pension Fund Administrators (PFAS) and their details. Please feel free to contact any of them so they can advise you of their closest branch to you. They would assist you in the opening of a RSA for your daughter. Thank you.

AJALA: Greetings to the Director-General of PenCom and The Nation. My name is Ajala, a para-Military Officer. I retired in June 2009. My Pension Fund Administrator is Sigma Pension. My complaint is about the non-payment of 2.5 per cent and arrears. Thank you.

PENCOM: Please be informed that you are not eligible for the 2.5 per cent differential as the presidential approval took effect from July 2014 when the Pension Reform Act 2014 was amended for the increment in the rates of contributions. Thank you.

TAYO: Good day, my name is Tayo. My late mother has two Retirement Savings Account Pins with two  pension managers. There are funds in the accounts. How do I go about processing her benefits?

PENCOM: You are advised to write a letter of complaint to the Director-General, National Pension Commission, Plot 174, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse, Abuja. The letter should state your late mother’s full name, the two RSA PINs with the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and evidence of registration with the two PFAs. Thank you.

FRIDAY: Good day, my name is Friday. I applied for my 25 per cent arrears contribution last month from my PFA, Premium Pension. But I am yet to be paid. Kindly help.

PENCOM: Please Be advised that the Commission is processing your benefits and your Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) will notify you once it is concluded. Thank you.

OGBAJE: My name is Ogbaje (rtd ASP). I retired in 2019 but my resettlement allowance has not been paid. Can you help trace it and tell me its position?

 

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) is set to kick off the verification for the pensioners of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) and others who missed the previous exercises under the Defined Benefit Scheme.

It will be held from August 22 -24. Three-day exercise would be held at the Afficient Event Centre, Nassarawa G.R.A. Kano and PTAD Marquee, Maitama, Abuja.

PTAD said pensioners should bring the original and photocopies of their career documents, stamped and signed BVN with picture, one month stamped and signed bank statement, NIN or any valid I.D.

Pensioners with incomplete documents should obtain Letters of Introduction from the Management of their agency and affidavit for loss of documents.

 

 

One of the advantages of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) is that it allows a contributor access 25 per cent of his/her Retirement Savings Account (RSA) when he/she loses his job, the Director-General, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar, has said.

Last year, she said, N21.52 billion was paid to 38,846 Retirement Savings Account (RSA) holders who lost their jobs and were unable to secure employment after four months.

The PenCom DG in a statement said the commission also approved N6.55 billion to Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) due to temporary job losses as payment to 9,602 RSA holders in the first quarter of the year while N6.65 billion was paid to 9,250 RSA holders in the second quarter .

She maintained that the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014 provides that where an employee has accessed the 25 per cent for temporary loss of job, such employee shall subsequently access the balances in the RSA only at retirement.

She said: “The PRA 2014, describes a ‘Temporary loss of job’ as when an employee who loses a job is unable to secure another employment after four months. Section 7(2) of the PRA 2014 states that ‘where an employee voluntarily retires, disengages or is disengaged from employment as provided for under section 16(2) and (5) of the PRA 2014, the employee can with the approval of the Commission, withdraw an amount of money not exceeding 25% of the total amount credited to his RSA. This is provided that such withdrawals shall only be made after four months of such cessation of employment or retirement and the employee does not secure another employment.

“The above provision in the PRA 2014 was significant during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted work places and displaced a great number of workers. The pandemic impacted the global economy and Nigeria was not exempted from its negative impact. Employers of labour were forced to reduce their operations, resulting in job losses. However, employees under the CPS had their RSA balances to supplement the hardship being experienced.

“Further to the above provision, it is important for workers and retirees under the CPS to understand that the scheme was created to cater for life at old age and therefore, the operations of the CPS does not allow RSAs to operate as the normal savings account in the conventional commercial banks where a customer deposits and withdraws funds at any given time. Consequently, all withdrawals from an employee’s RSA are based on conditions allowed under the PRA 2014, which includes the 25% access for temporary loss of job”.

She stressed that it is imperative to note that an employee who accesses 25 per cent of his or her RSA balance due to loss of job is mandated to resume pension contribution into the same RSA upon securing another employment.

Such an employee, according to her, is expected to forward his or her existing RSA Personal Identification Number (PIN) to the new employer so as to allow for easy remittance of their pension contribution.

“In order for an RSA holder to seamlessly access 25 per cent of his or her RSA, such person must submit a letter of acceptance of resignation or disengagement issued by the employer. Where the employer fails or refuses to accept the resignation letter from the employee, the PFA shall write the employer confirming the employee’s resignation and ensure that an acknowledgement copy is kept as proof of receipt.

“Also, where the employer fails to respond to the PFA’s inquiry above within 30 days, the employer’s refusal is taken as acceptance of the employee’s resignation for the purpose of benefits payment. To conclude the processes involved in accessing 25 per cent of the RSA, an RSA holder makes a formal request for withdrawal of 25 per cent of RSA balance.

“Once the letter of acceptance of resignation or disengagement and a formal request for 25 per cent withdrawal are submitted to the PFA, the PFA will do its due diligence and forward same to the Commission for approval. Upon approval from the Commission, such RSA holder is notified by the PFA,” she added.

 

IDOWU: Good day, my name is Idowu. This is a reminder to the newspaper that I have sent my scanned verification details to PTAD as directed since July 22, 2021, but I have not received any response from them. I retired from the Lagos State Post-primary Teaching Service Commission on April 30, 2004. The date of my first appointment at Epe Division Grammar School, Lagos State is June 1,1969. I spent my service years in Lagos State (35 years).

My complaints are that I have not been paid the Federal Share of my Gratuity (1969-1976). Secondly, my pension from May 1, 2004 to February 2008 was not paid. Instead, I was paid from March 1, 2008 to date. I thank you for the effort of your organisation to help us. God bless you.

PTAD: The Directorate would require your bank statement from retirement.

OWOEYE: I am Owoeye. I complained about the backlog of pension arrears to PTAD and sent documents to you through Gmail to your office on December 31, 2020. My complaints are omissions on payroll from January 2000 to February 2005; short-payment from February 1, 2005 (N419,315.10). The PTAD officer, who was handling my file, ignored my bank statement and every complaint I made was underlined and an asterisk in the bank statement.

Also, the harmonisation approved by the Federal Government was not given to me.

PTAD: Mr. Owoeye should provide a detailed bank statement from retirement.

NKANU: My name is Nkanu, I retired on February 29, 1995 from the University of Jos. I have not received my pension salary for May.

 PTAD: Mr. Nkanu’s pension has been paid.

RAPAEL: Good day, please I want to know why text messages are sent to me every five months to confirm whether I am alive while the same are not sent to others. However, the only pensioner that gets such messages is in Akwa Ibom State. I am not happy about it. The message should be general. Thank you.

PTAD: The messages were sent in error. Kindly ignore.

FASHAKIN: I read your column in The Nation. My name is Fashakin, a pensioner from the Nigerian Railway Corporation. After retiring 17 years ago, the management of the corporation paid part of our entitlement and refused to pay the balance.

Several letters had been written and efforts made to get our legitimate right, but they were rebuffed by the management. Then, we engaged a lawyer to assist us. The management replied our lawyer to forward the names and other information of his clients. The names were sent to them; still, the management refused pay.

All these happened last year. The case was referred to EFCC on January 11, this year. We waited for EFCC to call us for investigation, according to our lawyer, but when we did not hear from them, I went to their office on May 20, with a reminder. The letter was rejected, to my greatest surprise. I was told that EFCC declined to investigate the case of fraud brought against the Railway management.

Madam, I have the proof of my case. Please, for further inquiry for publication, my phone number is 08061224837. I would be glad if you could step in and look into our case. Thank you, madam.

 PTAD: Pensioner did not state nature of complaint. He did not respond to phone calls. He could contact PTAD.

Former President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Bobboi Kaigama and National Chairman, Nigeria Union of Contributory Pension Scheme Sector, Comrade Silva Nwaiwu, have described the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) as the most transparent pension system in the nation’s history.

Kaigama and Nwaiwu in separate interviews condemned agitations by some government agencies seeking to be exempted from the scheme.

Condenming the exemption of Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Service, Accountants-General of the Federation and other top government officials, Kaigama recalled that the Pension Reform Act (PRA) was aimed at addressing the problems in the system.

He observed that 18 years after, the CPS has accumulated over N14 trillion and that the fund had been invested into less risky portfolios. Pointing out that there was no system that might not have any problems, Kaigama noted that Section 5(1) (a) of the PRA 2014 was derived from the amended Section 291 of the 1999 Constitution, which exempts only the Military, Intelligence and Secret Service. However, Section 5 (1) (b) of the PRA 2014 exempted only public servants who had three years to retire in 2004 when the CPS was implemented, he added.

He said: “This is a system that is well novel, but very laudable. I have never seen a system in this country that is as transparent as the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). The only problem we have is the employers. The employee’s portion of the contribution is being deducted at source and remitted. Some employers don’t remit their own. That’s where we have a problem.

“The delay in releasing money for the payment of accrued rights is a major challenge with the CPS accrued rights are the benefits that retirees are expected to enjoy based on past service rendered before the CPS, which should be added to their RSAs at retirement.”

Justifying why the Federal Government should not grant further exemptions from the CPS, Kaigama said budgetary allocations for the payment of pension and retirement benefits were huge. He said the Federal Government proposed to spend N577 billion on paying pensions and gratuities in the year and exempting any government agency would further increase the government’s budgets for pension and gratuities.

“Sometimes, some of the budgetary provisions are not funded. If the budget is not funded 100 per cent, those you want to dole out N577 billion will not get it.That is why we are saying the CPS is more stable. You can predict it,” he said.

On automation of services to ease access to retirement benefits, Kaigama said: “Before now, you will go from table to table when you retire, but now you don’t have to go to any desk. Only your details are needed and your retirement benefits are processed. What we are saying to the government is keep paying accrued rights and keep contributing your portion of the pension monthly as the employee contributes monthly.”

Similarly, Nwaiwu said: “There is nothing wrong with the CPS. Any transparent government anywhere in the world will buy into it. The security of funds is very tight and very transparent,” he said.

However, he faulted the scheme’s take-off, which failed to segment workers, according to the years spent in the Civil Service for administering their pensions.

“We hurried into it unnecessarily. With proper planning, some of the hiccups would have been avoided,” he added.