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FG spends N6.24bn on pensions monthly

By on July 11, 2016

The Federal Government pays a total of N6.24bn every month as pensions under the management of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, a report sent to the National Pension Commission by the PTAD has shown.

“An Analysis of the returns revealed that the PTAD has a total of 217,619 pensioners on its payroll with a monthly pension bill of N6.24bn as of 31 March, 2016,” it stated.

The report detailed the activities of the directorate for February and March, 2016, a copy of which was obtained by SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday.

As part of its supervisory role on the activities of the PTAD, PenCom said it participated as an observer in the validation of the next of kin to the deceased pensioners of the Federal Government parastatals under the insured pension scheme in the ministries of health and education.

It also said some complaints were received from pensioners of the old scheme.

“These complaints comprised the stoppage of monthly pension; non-payment of pension benefits; and short payment of federal share of monthly pension,” PenCom noted.

The commission said the complaints were forwarded to the PTAD office for its attention.

In a recent statement, the Head Corporate Communications, PTAD, Theodora Amechi, said that the directorate had paid benefits and entitlements to over 500 next-of-kin of deceased pensioners of universities and colleges of education owned by the Federal Government.

This, she added, was after a validation of the pensioners, which took place in the six geo-political zones in the country recently.

“During the validation, the PTAD updated the data of NOKs previously verified by PenCom between 2008 and 2012 during the parastatals pensioners’ verification phase one,” she stated.

According to her, this payment was in fulfilment of the promise by the PTAD management that all NOKs would be paid their entitlements.

She said payments had been made to NOKs of the various agencies confirmed in letters signed by the chief executive officers of the institutions or their immediate delegates.

Amechi said that the PTAD was working hard to ensure all qualified NOKs were paid their due entitlements.

The PTAD also said the Lagos State Government had promised that it would provide logistics support for the verification of the Federal Government pensioners in the state to facilitate the payment of their benefits and entitlements.

It added that the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Civil Service Pensions Office, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Balogun, said this during a visit to the PTAD office in Abuja.

In the statement, Balogun conveyed the Lagos State Government’s commitment to providing logistic support to enable the PTAD to conduct the verification of all pensioners with federal share in the state.

While presenting a nominal roll of the Lagos State pensioners with federal share to the management of the PTAD, Balogun said, conducting the verification would enable the PTAD to resolve issues of non-payment and short payment to pensioners, and the reconciliation of any outstanding obligation on the part of the Federal Government.

She noted that the state was fully committed to ensuring that pensioners in Lagos State were paid their full entitlements.

According to her, this is evidenced by the payment of about N14bn to pensioners since the present administration assumed office over a year ago, at a time when other states were struggling to pay salaries.

 

[Punch]