The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Pensioners

  • Pensioners urge Fed Govt to reintroduce gratuity payment

    Pensioners, under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS),  have called on the Federal Government to reintroduce the payment of gratuity to retirees      .

    The  union accused the government of   shying away from its responsibility as there’s no provision in the Pension Reforms Act that outlawed the payment of gratuity to pensioners.

    The Sector Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme, Comrade Sylva Nwaiwu, stated this at  its second post inaugural congress of the union in Abuja.

    He  called  for a review of their entitlements, saying the Federal Government is indebted to pensioners, who retired under the CPS. He said they will continue to fight for their gratuity within the ambit of the law.

    His words: “Gratuity is a right to any public worker who retires from service after 10 to 35 years. The introduction of the CPS was to address the burden of monthly pension liabilities on the government and not that of gratuity. Hence, there is no section of the Pension Reform Act, before and as amended by the 2014 pension reform act that explicitly removes gratuity as a legitimate right to retirees.

    Naiwu said in  the old Defined Benefit Scheme,  government pays gratuity to the retirees and thereafter continues to pay monthly pension, whereas in the CPS, government is restricted to the payment of gratuity, while the monthly pension of retirees accrues from the combined contributions by government and the workers.

    He said from the inception of the CPS, the government has tactically ignored the legitimacy of this important factor in the engagement agreement, without any legal or constitutional justification, thus short changing the CPS retirees.

  • FG illegally denying us gratuity – Contributory pensioners

    FG illegally denying us gratuity – Contributory pensioners

    Pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) has accused the Federal Government of illegally denying them their entitlement as a result of the non-payment of gratuity to them when they retired from service.

    The pensioners who want the government to immediately address the situation said denying them gratuity when they retire on the pretext that they are not entitled to gratuity after retirement as illegal as the Pension Reform Act did not outlaw gratuity.

    They want the government to reintroduce the payment of gratuity for pensioners, saying the government was deliberately shying away from its responsibility, adding that the idea of introducing the Contributory Pension Scheme was to relieve the government of the burden of payment of pensions and not gratuity which they said is a form of appreciation to the workers for their contributions while in service.

    The pensioners are also agitating for a review in their entitlements as pensioners, saying the federal government was indebted to Pensioners who retired under the CPS, adding that they will continue to fight for their gratuity within the ambit of the law.

    Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme Sector, Comrade Slyva Nwaiwu who spoke at the second post inaugural Congress of the union in Abuja, said “gratuity is a right to any public worker who retired from service after five to thirty five ears of service, those who put in an ward of ten to thirty five years receive pension in addition. 

    “The introduction of the CPS was to address the burden of monthly pension liabilities on the government and not that of gratuity. Hence, there is section of the Pension Reform Act before and as amended by the 2014 pension reform act that explicitly remove gratuity as a legitimate right to retirees. 

    “In the old Defined Benefit Scheme, government pays gratuity to the retirees and thereafter continue to pay monthly pension. In the CPS, government s restricted to the payment of gratuity while the monthly pension of retirees accrue from the combined contributions by government and the workers, but from the inception of the CPS, government has tactically ignored the legitimacy of this important factor in the engagement agreement, without any legal or constitutional justification, thus shortchanging the CPS retirees.

    “Both the National Pension Commission and other relevant authorities  need to look into this with dispatch as the injustice is so glaring. The fact is that the federal government is owing all public workers who had so far retired under the CPS gratuities and the union shall pursue this with vigor within the ambers of the law to ensure that the payment is effected in n distant time.”

    He said the Contributory Pension Scheme Pensioners were also being shortchanged in the review of Pension against the constitutional mandatory review of pensions every five years or whenever there is salary review, adding that since the introduction of the CPS, there has been two review of Pension without consideration for those under CPS.

    Nwaiwu said though huge pension liability was inherited by the present government, it has not done anything to ensure adequate funding of the sector, adding that it was unfortunate that the Buhari government inherit d the error of underfunding the pension sector from previous government.

    He explained that the aim of introducing the Contributory Pension Scheme as part of the pension reform initiative was to reposition the industry and inject efficiency into the system in other to end the long wait for retirement benefits by pensioners.

    He lamented that between 2007 and 2014, pensioners began to wait for between three and six months before receiving their entitlement, pointing out that by 2015, the situation deteriorated to the unit where retirees have to wait for between 13 to 15 months after retirement before being paid their entitlement.

    According  to him, the major problem had to do with the fact that the immediate act PDP government became so reckless with spending public funds to the lint that pension funds were not left out, adding that “this scenario is behind the crisis of huge pension liabilities in the CPS sector today”.

    National President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Dr. Abel Afolayan informed the gathering that every worker in Nigeria today is expected by law to key into he provision of the  establishing Contributory Pension Scheme and “I can sure you all that the worst days for the Scheme are over. I can only be Better through our efforts.”

    Afolayan said the National Assembly, PENCOM and PFAs and all other relevant agencies involved in the administration if the Scheme are king very hard on the grey areas of the Scheme and trying to cover every aspects where little lapses have been manifesting by the day.

    He said While government is laying its e in making Scheme work, as contributors to the Scheme owe it a duty to complement government efforts which is very important. The progress and success of the Scheme is a joint venture between both the government and the contributors.

  • PTAD advises FHA, Delta Steel pensioners on verification

    PTAD advises FHA, Delta Steel pensioners on verification

    The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has urged the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and Delta Steel Company (DSC) pensioners to partake in the ongoing verification  in Lagos, Abuja and Delta State.

    The exercise is billed to end at the Lagos Centre today. The Delta Centre ends on Tuesday.

    The event, which started on Monday, is to enable it review the captured data to identify genuine pensioners, compute into the system and ascertain pension entitlements for payments.

    Its Executive Secretary, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor represented by the Assistant Director, Pension Admin, PTAD, Jibrin Idris made this known during the verification exercise in Lagos yesterday.

    He however said the turnout in Lagos for the exercise was not impressive, but he is optimistic that more people would show up before the end of the exercise.

    He said the essence of the verification is to identify genuine retirees of the two agencies, which are FHA and DSC, stressing that in the last verification, pensioners of NICON Insurance; New Nigeria Newspapers and Nigeria Reinsurance were verified.

  • PTAD commences verification of 8000 FHA, Delta steel pensioners

    PTAD commences verification of 8000 FHA, Delta steel pensioners

    The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate PTAD has begun the verification of about 8,000 pensioners of Delta Steel Company, Aladja and Federal Housing Authority under its Defined Benefit Scheme in three centres across the country.

    The pensioners are expected to centres are located in Delta state, Lagos and Abuja with relevant documents for verification in other to be included in the pension payroll of the government several years after leaving government service.

    At the commencement of the exercise in Abuja, Mr. Onofiok Ekon who said he retired as General Manager of Delta steel company in 1995 said he did not believe the exercise would hold, but was impressed with the arrangements made by PTAD which showed the Directorate is ready to attend to them. 

    Officials of the Directorate said the exercise is expected to last four days in Abuja. Eight days in Delta and five days in Lagos.

    The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Sharon Ikeazor who monitored the flag off of the exercise in Abuja said the process would involve documents review, biodata capturing and including them in the comprehensive database towards enrolment for monthly pension payment. 

    PTAD recently concluded the verification of those who are civil servants across the six geopolitical zones of the country, bring to three, categories of pensioners that have so far been verified.

    They had earlier concluded the verification of Police Pensioners as well as those of the Customs, Immigration and Prison services.

    In October, it began the verification of pensioners under its parastatals category.

    At the conclusion of the exercise, the agency is expected to present to the government a comprehensive data of pensioners under the old Defined Benefit Scheme.

  • 24,000 federal pensioners undergo verification in Kogi

    24,000 federal pensioners undergo verification in Kogi

    The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has commenced verification of about 24,00 Federal Civil Service pensioners in Kogi as part of efforts to address various issues surrounding pension administration in the country.

    A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who monitored the conduct on Wednesday in Lokoja, gathered that the exercise was taking place in Kwara, Benue, Plateau and Kogi states simultaneously.

    According to a highly reliable source which craved anonymity, the exercise which commenced on Monday, is expected to verify the status of about 24,000 pensioners.

    The source revealed that the week-long exercise, which is in three stages, entailed review of the pensioners’ documents; Biometric capturing and digitization of employment records as well as Quality Assurance and issuance of a slip to each verified pensioner.

    The exercise, according to the source, is aimed at creating accurate and credible database of pensioners that retired on or before June 2007 and have not transited to the contributory pension scheme.

    He added that the verification would also help in the elimination of duplicate payments and non-eligible pensioners from the payroll as well as regularisation of anomalies such as over payment and underpayments.

    He described over payment as one of the major challenges discovered so far, adding that the exercise had maintained a human face as the feeble and the sick were given special treatment with express service.

    Mobile service is being extended to sick pensioners who could not make it to the venue as the officials move equipment to their homes to capture their data.

    A pensioner and former Secretary to Kogi State Government (SSG), Chief Andrew Aileku who is also a federal pensioner, commended the PTAD officials for the orderly and peaceful conduct of the exercise.

    Another pensioner, a retired Permanent Secretary, Mr Benjamin Ipinyomi, lauded the peaceful and orderly conduct of the exercise and urged the Federal Government to ensure all verified pensioners continued to enjoy their pensions promptly.

  • PTAD: 13,150 Customs, Immigration, other pensioners on payroll

    The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has a record of over 13,150 verified pensioners and Next of Kins (NOKs) from the para – military services of Customs, Immigration and Prisons on its database, Executive Secretary, Sharon Ikeazor, has said.

    Mrs Ikeazor, who made this known in a statement to journalists, said the directorate has also paid all the pension increases including 33 per cent to all its pensioners except those who are not on the payroll, some NOKs and a few isolated cases.

    She stated that the pensioners are under the management of the Customs Immigration and Prisons Pension Department (CIPPD) of the Directorate and also under the Defined Benefit  Scheme (DBS).

    She noted that the Customs Immigration and Prisons Pension Department was first established by Decree 75 of 1993 as Customs Immigration and Prisons Pension Office (CIPPO) with the primary objective of managing pension funds for the benefit of retirees from the para – military services of Customs, Immigration and Prisons.

    She said  it was merged into PTAD in August 2013.

    She said: ‘’The responsibility of pension payment to retired officers was previously carried out by Office of Establishment and Pensions which is now known as the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF). However, in the year 1991, the police and para-military pension offices were created, leaving out only the civil service pensions to be handled by the OHCSF.

    “The office started operations in the year 1990 and was saddled with the responsibility of payment of retirement benefits i.e. gratuity and monthly pension to the officers who retired from the three services of Customs, Immigration & Prisons. The office was also responsible for the computation and payment of death benefits to Next of Kin (NOK) of officers who died while in service and for those officers who died after retirement but could not access their retirement benefits.”

    She pointed out that those officers who retired from the three services of Customs, Immigration & Prisons before the creation of CIPPO were later transferred from the OHCSF to CIPPO in 2004 and they are called Pre 91 pensioners.

    “CIPPO was merged with the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) in August 2013, and its responsibilities are now being handled by Customs, Immigration & Prisons Pensions Department (CIPPD).

    “CIPPD is responsible for the pension administration of the three para-military services – Customs, Immigrations and Prisons. The main objective of the department is to manage pension funds and ensure the timely payment of pensioner’s entitlement, stress – less dispensation of pension services to retirees from the paramilitary services and maintain fairness and integrity in the dispensation of pension related matters.

    “The department is headed by a director and divided into two main divisions namely,  Pension Accounts and Pension Administration. The Admin division is responsible for all administrative matters, pension complaints and pension records management; while accounts division is responsible for the department’s finances and pension payments. The department has an internal auditor who is tasked with the responsibility of checking all its operations and payments”.

    She explained that there are different categories of pensioners under the department.

    “The categories are Pre 1991, Ex Biafra Pardonees, S5 NOK and 56 NOK.. The Pre 1991 are pensioners that retired before the creation of the erstwhile CIPPO.  Some retired voluntarily on attaining 60 years of age or after 35 years of service. Post 1991 are pensioners that retired statutorily, voluntarily, involuntarily or compulsorily retired/downsized from 1991 to June 2007 who fall under PTADs mandate.

    “Ex Biafra Pardonees are the para-military officers who joined the Biafran Army during the civil war but were pardoned and granted amnesty by President Olusegun  Obasanjo in May 2000;S5 NOK are the NOK of officers who died a natural death.

    Speaking further she said:‘’There are two categories – for death while in service, the registered NOKs will be paid the gratuity and five years dependable benefit. However, if the death occurred after retirement, the registered NOKs will be paid the balance of the unpaid pension totaling five years post retirement; and S6 NOK are the NOK of officers who died in the course of duty while in active service. Here, the widow and up to six children up to the age of 18 will be entitled to monthly pensions and once they attain the age of 18 years the pension payment stops.’’.

  • Edo pensioners resume street protest

    Edo pensioners resume street protest

    Pensioners in Edo State on Monday resumed their street protest to demand for the payment of their pension arrears and gratuity.

    The protesting pensioners wore red attires and caused heavy vehicular traffic in Benin City by blocking the popular Oba Ovoramwen Square (Ring Road).

    They sang solidarity and derogatory songs as well as they prayed to God to intervene on their behalf.

    Spokesman of the protesters, Barr. Gabriel Osemwekhai, said they resumed their protest because Governor Godwin Obsseki was not prepared to use the Paris Club refund money to pay their pension arrears and gratuity.

    Gabriel said they have protested severally in the past and the state government failed to listen to them.

    He said the pensioners were owed between five and 42 months pension arrears, gratuity for local government pensioners from 2008 till date and that the state pensioners were owed gratuities from 2012 till date.

    On claims by the state government that N220m was paid to pensioners, he said the money was paid from statutory allocation to the local government areas.

    “The latest development is that we have not heard from the government. We have protested times without number. This is the 13th time we are coming out to protest in respect of the non-profit of our arrears and gratuity.

    “As a matter of fact, the money is available, it has been given to the State government to be disbursed to pensioners and ever since the money came, Edo state Governor has kept mute, he has been so silence over the disbursement. He has never given a dime to pensioners from the Paris Club refund.

    “That is the money the federal government brought with specific instructions that it should pay all arrears and gratuity. But this man has paid dear ears. We don’t know if it is because he is Governor of the ruling party. We don’t know if that is why he has remained obstinate.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari himself called all the traditional rulers when he returned from his sick leave. He told them that he is disappointed with some Governors. Our own Governor is the only one who has not come out to say this is how much am going to bring out for the pensioners.

    “It is the two months monthly pension he is owing them. The amount for one month is N220 million, and he paid for two months successively. But he did not brought out any money from the Paris Club refund.”

  • PTAD: pensioners hail stress-free verification

    Thousands of civil service pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) yesterday trooped out in Lagos for screening in the current verification by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD).

    The pensioners submitted their documents and did the fingerprinting, scanning and uploading of the documents into existing database of genuine pensioners.

    They expressed joy, describing the verification as stress-less.

    Mrs Roseline Adeniyi, a retired Chief Matron from Lagos State in 2006, said the verification was a good departure from the past when they stood in scorching sun to be verified.

    She noted that the PTAD arrangement went on smoothly.

    Mrs Adeniyi said: “Since I retired 11 years ago, it has been one painful verification to another. With PTAD, the verification has been stress-free.

    “I am yet to be paid my pension and gratuity. But I love what I am seeing today and my message to President Muhammadu Buhari is that he should release money as soon as possible so that we can be paid.”

    Another pensioner, Sir Odororo, said he retired in 1999 and had been attending series of verification to receive his pension.

    The pensioner regretted the pains he went through in the past but expressed happiness that PTAD was verifying pensioners without giving them stress.

    He said: “The new pension system is good. I hope they will continue with this pattern. It has been very wonderful and commendable, compared to the previous verifications.”

    Mrs Shofolahan said she retired in 1992 and had been receiving her pension.

    The retiree said went through several verifications in the past.

    She added: “I just came for the usual verification and my experience today has been awesome. The organisation is better the tedious system that we went through under the previous administration.

  • PTAD to verify 21,295 pensioners in Lagos

    PTAD to verify 21,295 pensioners in Lagos

    The verification of eligible civil service pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) in Lagos State will begin today and end on September 29, the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), has said.

    A statement from PTAD’s management in Abuja yesterday indicates that verification of the pensioners in Lagos will be the second phase of the exercise in the Southwest zone.

    It said PTAD had conducted similar verification of pensioners in Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states in August.

    PTAD said the Lagos verification was a continuation of similar exercises in four zones  involving 64,825 pensioners.

    It said that pensioners, who were hitherto not pay rolled for years were now verified and paid with arrears.

    According to the statement, 21,295 pensioners are expected to be verified in five centres in Lagos.

    The centres, according to PTAD include, Alausa, Yaba, Ketu, Amuwo Odofin and Agege.

    PTAD said the process of verification of the pensioners would consist of four distinct steps of biodata, capturing and provision of other relevant documents.

    It said that the entire process was to suitably place the pensioners in the payroll and database for payment of their monthly pension.

    It further revealed that sick pensioners would be covered in their locations, adding that a total of 108 PTAD staff were being deployed for the exercise.

    It also indicated that the Executive Secretary of PTAD, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor would supervise the exercise.

  • PTAD to verify 21,295 pensioners in Lagos

    PTAD to verify 21,295 pensioners in Lagos

    About 21,295 pensioners are expected to participate in the second phase of the South West verification exercise being conducted by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) in Lagos state between Monday, September 18 and Friday, September 29, 2017.

    A statement from the agency said eligible civil service pensioners under the defined benefit scheme will take part in the two week exercise which will be supervised by the Executive Secretary of the PTAD, Barrister Sharon Ikeazor.

    The first phase of the exercise for the south west took place in August and covered three states of Osun, Ondo and Ekiti, while Oyo and Ogun states are expected to be covered during the final phase in the zone.

    Similar exercise has been concluded in four zones of the country involving 64,825 pensioners who were not payrolled for years but now verified and being paid with arrears. 

    The statement said the over 21000 pensioners are expected to be verified in five centres in Alausa, Yaba, Ketu, Amuwo Odofin and Agege. 

    It said further that the process will take four distinct steps for capturing their biodata and other relevant documents for them to be suitably placed in the payroll and database for payment of their monthly pension. 

    The sick and infirm will be covered in their locations, pointing out that total of 108 PTAD staff are being deployed for the exercise.