FG pensioners yet to receive 33.3% pension arrears

Pension

By Victor Uzoho

Retirees across the country have confirmed that they are yet to receive complete payment of the 33.3 per cent pension arrears, meant for Federal Government pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), by the Pension Transitional Arrangements Directorate (PTAD). From a random research conducted recently, The Guardian observed that some of the government pensioners are still being owed 12 months to 24 months of the pension arrears, while some others were yet to receive any payment at all.
According to the 2018 First Quarter (Q1) Report released by the National Pension Commission (PenCom), put statutory monthly returns rendered by PTAD at N8.20 billion to 237,933 pensioners in the quarter under review, while 11 complaints were received and forwarded to PTAD for resolution.

However, the numbers were faulted by pensioners, who claimed that hundreds of complaints are made at PTAD’s office every working day, and that majority of them are yet to receive payments of their pension arrears.
One of the pensioners, Mrs Omotayo Oserinde, who claimed she retired from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in 2007, said she is yet to receive the complete payment of her pensions and gratuity.
She said: “Since 2008, I’m yet to receive the balance of my gratuity.
When we were about to be paid, the people sent from Abuja by the federal government asked for N200,000 gratification from my retirement funds, which I refused.
“Some people who agreed to pay the money received their pensions in full.
I was paid N2.2 million even when the Accountant General of the Federation gave a directive that I should be paid over N3 million.
“We are over 600 pensioners affected by this, and we are yet to receive payments of the 33.3 per cent pension arrears directed to be paid by the federal government.”

Another pensioner who identified himself as, Comrade Eme Akinleye, claimed he retired from the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), and is yet to receive 24 months payment of the 33.3 per cent pension arrears under the DBS.
His words: “It’s most painful that we are yet to receive the complete payment of our pension arrears since 2010. PTAD is yet to pay us 24 months of the arrears while they still owe core ministries 12 months.
“We heard N20 billion had been released to them, out of the N28 billion they requested from the federal government, but they are yet to pay us.”
Also, the Secretary, Electricity Sector Pensioners, Ibadan Chapter, Comrade Oladigboye G.O, claimed they are yet to be verified by PTAD, and have not received any single arrears.
He said: “I am speaking authoritatively, I am a National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) pensioner of 19 years standing, and PTAD is yet to verify us.
They keep telling us that there is no money. They have not yet paid any NEPA pensioner any single arrears.
“Some pensioners under my care, who have been receiving monthly pensions suddenly stopped receiving their monthly pensions, and once they started receiving again the ones that didn’t receive was never paid till now.
“Personally, I still have outstanding monthly pensions from 2013, 2014, and 2015, including November last year, which they still owe me up till date.
“PTAD is not working. They have not done anything for we NEPA pensioners, and they have deprived me the opportunity to speak. I have taken letters to Abuja, but I am yet to be attended to.”
Meanwhile, 14,573 Nitel/Mtel pensioner, whom PTAD claimed have been verified, are yet to start receiving their monthly pensions, as well those for the Nigerian Reinsurance, who are yet to receive payments of their outstanding pension arrears.