The Kogi State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has given Governor Idris Wada a seven-day ultimatum to withdraw the services of a consultant engaged by the Accountant-General (AG), Ibrahim Idakwo, to handle pension payment or face a protest.
Addressing reporters in Lokoja at the weekend, the NUP Chairman, Comrade Onuh Abdullaihi, said the ultimatum became necessary to prevent the hijack of the payment of monthly pension from the Bureau of State Government Pensions by the consultant, which he claimed was engaged by the AG in April last year.
He said: “Since 2012, pensions have been paid through electronic device or e-platform. But the AG misinformed Governor Wada that such payment was being made manually.
“The AG requested the governor to grant approval for the introduction of the platform in the payment of monthly pensions and it was approved.”
Abdullaihi said based on the approval, the AG employed the services of a consultant to make the payment in April last year, adding that the pensioners opposed the arrangement by writing the government and agencies on the consequence of the action, but to no avail.
He alleged that following the development, the names of 225 pensioners were omitted from the payment voucher last April and a new placement for the receipt of pension was left out.
The NUP chairman added: “In April, over N19.92million was withheld by the accountant-general from the required money released for pension payment. In May, the same consultant was used by the AG to effect the payment and the same mistake of April was repeated. The AG instructed the consultant to deduct money ranging from N200 to N1,000 from the salaries of pensioners.”
He said the advice to make the government understand that the AG was out to cause confusion and inflict pains on pensioners was not heeded and most of the affected pensioners were yet to receive their payment.
Abdullaihi said the AG’s action was a disregard for the rule of law.
His words: “Based on this, we are giving a seven-day ultimatum to the government to disengage the consultant. The accountant- general should make the consultant refund the money deducted from the pensioners’ money. Failure to do this, the union will be compelled to embark on a peaceful demonstration.”a