President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to hasten his government’s anti-corruption crusade and bring to book all those who mismanaged pension funds.
This was contained in a statement from a group known as the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) South-South zone, in a meeting of the organization held at NULGE Consulate, Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital.
Addressing other chairmen at the meeting, the host chairman, Comrade Edward Festus-Abibo, the state chairman of NUP, Rivers state chapter, urged President Buhari to immediately start the investigation on how pension fund were diverted during the last administration, The Nation reports.
According to him, all state governments must pay without further delay, all entitlements owed pensioners in their zones, which include the 6% increase (2003), the 15% increase (2007) and the 33% monetization increase (2010), The Nation reports.
Being a pensioner on his own, Comrade Festus-Abibo urged President Buhari to prosecute pension looters as the NUP are working towards actualizing the issue of short payments, omission from pay roll, non- pay roll and arrears of various types of pension increases.
Festus-Abibo was however quick to applaud Governor Nyesom Wike for clearing six month outstanding owed the state pensioners in Rivers.
Also Speaking at the event, Comrade Benjamin Etta, the chairman of NUP, Cross River state chapter, who doubles as the South-South Zonal chairman of NUP, said the committee was set-up to know the frustration of pensioners in the zone.
Etta lamented on the inability of Pension Transitional Administration Directorate (PTAD) to commence the Biometric verification exercise nation-wide.
While appealing to the directorate to ensure the exercise gets to its logical conclusion, Etta urged President Buhari to punish pension looters.
He said: “One of the reasons of the meeting is to declare our support on the federal government’s anti-corruption crusade. We want President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that pension funds mismanaged during the last administration are recovered and the perpetrators brought to book.
“The union urges PTAD to ensure that the pensioners and the next-of-kin of deceased pensioners are paid their entitlements without delay immediately after the exercise. We noted the frequency calls from Abuja, demanding for money from pensioners before their papers are processed is another worrisome issue that requires thoroughly investigates.”
