The Federal Government has directed the
release of N54 billion towards the
settlement of inherited and current liabilities
to Federal Government retirees under the
Contributory Pension Scheme.
The presidential spokesman, Malam Garba
Shehu, disclosed this when he featured on
an interactive radio programme, “Hannu Da
Yawa” on the Federal Radio Corporation of
Nigeria, FRCN Kaduna.
The programme was part of activities to
commemorate the second anniversary of
the Buhari administration.
He also revealed that the Buhari
administration had further directed that
regular monthly remittances be made into
the Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption
Fund (RBBRF) with the Central Bank of
Nigeria to ensure the continuity of timely
payment of benefits to retirees.
According to him, under the Buhari
administration, the PTAD has saved N5.7
billion through the efficient administration
of the pensions of parastatals and
universities.
“In addition, pension assets increased from
N4.96 trillion in June 2015 to N6.42 trillion
as at March 2017, indicating a growth of
over 29 percent.
“The government of President Muhammadu
Buhari will continue to ensure the
strengthening and accountability of PTAD,’’
the presidential spokesman assured.
Shehu, who is the Senior Special Assistant to
the President on Media and Publicity, said
the Buhari administration had brought to
an end the series of fraud and scandals
around the issue of pensions in Nigeria.
He said that this feat was achieved by
strengthening the Pension Transitional
Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), which had
introduced a number of innovative
measures over the past two years.
According to him, one of the measures is
the automation of pension payment
processes.
Shehu noted that the Bank Verification
Number (BVN) policy had also been
implemented in the pension scheme, with
over 103,000 civil service pensioners
verified.
“Pensioner records have also been
digitalised for secure archiving, with
thousands of thousands of old, physical
pension folders converted to e-files.
“In addition, the government of President
Buhari has enforced a new level of
commitment to the welfare of pensioners
and retirees, with the PTAD creating an
automated and centrally administered
complaints management process with a
dedicated call centre that receives and treats
over 200 calls on a daily basis,’’ he said.
He stated that in contrast to the past when
a record number of pensioners died on
queues trying to get their rights, “the new
arrangement ensure that the pensioners
are attended to with utmost care’’.
He added that the arrangement had also
provided a conducive atmosphere for
verification, food and water as well as
wheelchairs for those that have mobility
challenges, adding that infirmed pensioners
were verified at their home or hospital.
The Senior Special Assistant also claimed in
the programme that the reform carried out
by the administration in the National Drug
Law Environment Agency (NDLEA), had
brought “respect to Nigerian international
travellers who now face less harassment at
airports in other lands’’.
He revealed that under the present
administration, the NDLEA had seized more
than one million kilogrammes of various
drugs, destroyed about 110,000 hectares of
drug farms and arrested 17,000 suspected
drugs dealers.
He announced that so far, about 5,000
persons had been convicted in the last two
years.
