Pensions scam: Gov. orders probe into alleged malpractice

Pension

Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has ordered probe into allegations of malpractices in the payment of pensions of retired civil servants in the state.
Some staff of the audit unit of the office of the Auditor- General of the state have been accused of extorting money from pensioners to facilitate their pension payments.
Umahi, in a release signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Uzor, expressed dismay over the alleged extortions.
According to him, the state government will do everything within its powers to get to the root of the matter.
“The issues surrounding the non-payment of pension and gratuities in the state had been hinged on criminal padding and inflation of pensions and gratuities.
“This criminal inflation and doctoring of figures as noticed in the payroll of pensioners, led to setting up a special committee in charge of harmonising entitlements accruable to pensioners in the state.
“The committee headed by the Deputy Governor has been working assiduously to ensure that no pensioner is shortchanged or omitted,” he said.
Umahi expressed surprise that some retired civil servants still alleged extortion by officials of the audit unit, even when the accruable payments were not within the jurisdiction of the auditor-general.
“It is possible that those who alleged extortion were the bad eggs who inflated or altered their entitlements in connivance with some staff of the audit department,” he said.
READ: Maina`s reinstatement an embarrassment – APC
The governor said that such people had refused to appear before the deputy governor led-harmonisation committee to prevent the determination of their proper entitlements.
“The people involved in this issue should appear before the office of the deputy governor saddled with the speedy payment of pensions instead of looking for shortcuts to defraud the state government. .
“Consequently, all retired civil servants who have not completed their physical capturing should immediately do so as those that have completed theirs have been duly paid,” he said.
The governor said that he had directed the Head of Service, the auditor-general and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission of the state to expeditiously investigate the alleged pension scam.
“Anybody found culpable will be made to face the wrath of the law as this administration will not tolerate such deliberate sabotage of government policies and programmes,” he added.
He directed the pensioners allegedly exploited to report to the office of the Chief Press Secretary, Government House, Abakaliki, and officially lodge their complaints,” he said.

PM news

Biafra: Buhari approves payment of pension to pardoned police personnel

Published
on
October 18, 2017

By
Wale Odunsi

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the payment of pension to police personnel who served under the defunct Biafran police during the civil war.
The Police officers were granted presidential pardon in 2000.

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) on Wednesday announced that about 162 of such retired police officers and 57 Next of Kin will be paid their benefits in the first phase which kicks off this month.
The statement reads: “The general public would recall that Nigeria witnessed an ugly civil war between July, 1967 and January, 1970 and as a result of that unfortunate period in our history, some members of the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police and paramilitary officers who took part with the Secessionist were dismissed from the service.
“The dismissal of those officers was commuted to retirement in the year 2000 through a Presidential Amnesty granted on 29th May, 2000 by the Administration of the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo.
“A verification exercise was conducted for the pardoned officers by the defunct Police Pension Office and recently PTAD on one hand and the Police Service Commission on the other.

“Despite the Presidential pardon and verification of these officers, many of them remained unpaid years after the pardon. However, the present administration under the able leadership of President, Muhammadu Buhari has graciously given approval for the payment of pension entitlements to these officers and their Next of Kin.
“PTAD is commencing the payment of pension benefits to the retired war affected police officers on Friday October 20, 2017 in Enugu. 162 officers will be payrolled and 57 Next of Kin who have also not been paid their death benefits will be paid in the first batch.”

Daily post