From Joseph Inokotong, Abuja
Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries in the employ of the Federal Government may not get their full pension benefits due to the inability of their employer to remit same to the National Pension Commission (PenCom).
This was disclosed by the Director General of National Pension Commission (PenCom), Aisha Dahir-Umar, in her welcome remarks during an oversight visit of the Senate Committee on Establishment & Public Services to the Commission in Abuja.
Enumerating the challenges faced by PenCom to the committee members, the Director General said the Federal Government’s non-compliance with the new minimum statutory rate of pension contribution of 18 per cent since 2014; the non-payment of approved 15 per cent and 33 per cent pension increases to pensioners under the CPS remained a huge problem.
Others include “Non-payment of shortfall of payment of full retirement benefits of retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries; and non-payment of FGN Pension Protection Levy. These have created sad and negative impression on the full realisation of the objectives of the CPS in Nigeria”.
On the positives, Dahir-Umar told the Senators that PenCom has within the 16 years of reforms been able to positively transform the sector in Nigeria. “Our scorecard includes many positive feats, like the licensing of 22 PFAs, 7 CPFAs, 4 PFCs and many Approved Existing pension schemes in the private sector.