Military Pensions Board, MPB, has said the late elder statesman, Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu alongside other pardoned soldiers that fought on the side of the defunct Biafra during the Nigeria Civil war, have been paid their pensions and arrears totaling N1.5billion by the Federal Government.

Chairman of the MPB, Rear Admiral Bala Mshelia, who spoke to Pension and You, also announced that from year 2013, would commence the electronic or e-card verification system to among others, save ex-servicemen the agony of the ritual of frequent verification exercises.

Throwing more light on the payment of pension benefits to ex-Biafra soldiers who were pardoned by the federal government, Admiral Mshelia said Ojukwu and others whose pardon were backdated to year 2000, started receiving pensions money since August last year and that N1.5billion released for the payment had been exhausted.

He explained that those alleged to have been left out of the payment, did not qualify for going by federal government criteria backdating the pardon to year 2000.

According to him “if you were dead by 1999 for instance, you or your next of kin (NOK) is not entitled to the benefit unless government shifts back the date.”


Speaking on the advantages of the planned electronic card, Mshelia said, “With this card, which will have all the biometric features like finger print, photo geometry and other features, there will be no need for any pensioner to go queue for physical verification.

All you will need to do is take the card to a machine, plug it and it will confirm the information we need, once in a year. Though the verification exercise is carried out by the ministry of Defence, there would have been no need for it but due to the fact that Nigerians are dishonest when it comes to collecting pension benefits, the exercise has had to be sustained.

“If it were abroad, these verification exercises would not be necessary but because we are dishonest, it has to be done. We have discovered times without number, that if a pensioner dies for instance, the families because they want to continue receiving the benefits of such deceased pensioner, hide such information from us.

It is when we do verification exercise that we discover this. We confronted some families over this issue, they lied that the pensioner was at the village receiving treatment whereas he had died, in some cases they put the photo of the son on the identity card to deceive us and we detected.

Some will come with fake death certificate when they realize time is up and say the pensioner died on this month of verification whereas the man died about four of five months ago. When we cross check, the hospital is non-existent; the doctor that confirmed and signed the death certificate is nowhere to be found. With the electronic card system, these lies and deceits will be detected.”

Just concluded verification exercise

On the three week just concluded verification exercise he said “We discovered some ghost pensioners which we have eliminated from our system. Even some dead pensioners surfaced in some areas and our investigation showed that some unscrupulous State Legion chairmen were conniving with persons to defraud the board using these dead persons that resurrected. All these names we have deleted from our payroll.”

Commenting on pension scam, Mshelia said, “Our job here is to pay pension, gratuity and death benefits to Next of Kin’s (NOK’s). That is our responsibility. Immediately we are given money, we pay. We don’t place or fix funds in banks. We continue to assure all genuine pensioners that they will get their benefits one or two months after the money is released, that we won’t take their money and fix it.”

Recalling a meeting he had with the military high command when he took over as Chairman, Military Pensions Board, Admiral Mshelia said, “The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin and the Service Chiefs called me last year and sat me down, after the act returning the military pensions back to MPB from PENCOM.

They asked me what we intended to do to ensure that military pensioners did not go back to the days of sleeping and roaming under the bridges. We told them that if notice of planned retirement is given, and a time frame allowed for their gratuity and other pension benefits to be worked out, officers and soldiers would be paid even before their final day in office.”

“We said; give us 6 months notice before officers and personnel retire. We would take their details, biometrics. Those of them that owe either housing loans or other deductions that they need to pay, we would carry out the deductions and by the time the 6 months is over, the officer or soldier’s money is ready for collection without stress”.

Regarding certain petitions and publications in the media making several claims against the MPB, Mshelia said, “many of those petitions are borne out of lack of information. Some of the petitions are mischievous; some of them are the handiwork of vested interests that are not comfortable that the MPB has changed for the better and things cannot continue the way it used to be. Even powerful people in the society sometimes want things to be done the old way and I explain to them, the consequences’ and they see reason.”

Lagos pension scheme hits N29.382bn

THE Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, in Lagos as at January, stood at N29, 382, 372, 136, even as the government presented retirement bond certificates worth N1.7 billion to 350 civil servants who recently retired from the state public civil service.

Fashola, while presenting the sum of N1.720, 596, 064.28k as retirement bonds to 350 pensioners at the fifth presentation of the retirement Bond certificates to retired civil servants, said the wages of the state civil servants would continue to be given top priority.

It will be recalled that the state government commenced the presentation of bond certificate to retirees from the state public service in 2007.

Represented by the deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire,Fashola said that the state would ensure that past service liabilities were paid in strict adherence with the provision of the Lagos state Pension Reform law No. 3 made in 2007.

He stated since the commencement of the CPS, the government had chosen to pioneer the implementation of a pension policy that would secure the future of public servants.

He said “While there will always be room for improvement of the process, I am proud to assert that issues of malpractice are fading into a distant memory in our state’s pension administration. We have demonstrated the greatest commitment to the success of the scheme.”

The governor disclosed that as at January 2012, the total employee and state’s contribution credited into the Retirement Savings Account of all employees under the Contributory Pension Scheme since inception of the scheme stood at N29.38 billion.

“Also, redemption of Retirement Bond Certificates which commenced in the state in October 2010 with the payment of N412.8 million to the first batch of 103 retirees grew to N5.8 billion when the fourth batch of 471 retirees were paid in October 2011.

Today, with the payment of N1.7 billion being made, the total retirement bond certificates redeemed so far has risen to N7.5 billion to a total of 1,471 retirees. This is a clear demonstration of the unwavering commitment of the Lagos State Government to the well-being of those that have so diligently served the state,” the governor added.

Pension scam: Group wants culprits prosecuted

CIVIL Society Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, has called on the National Assembly to ensure that all those indicted in the pension scam are prosecuted.

The Executive Director of the Centre, Auwal Rafsanjani, made the call at a briefing in Kano.

“The Senate Committee should as a matter of national priority and urgency, ensure that all those indicted in the mismanagement and looting of the pension fund are publicly exposed.”

According to him, the call was necessary to ensure justice and fairness as well as expose the level of individual involvement of those indicted.

Rafsanjani also urged the Senate to compile and forward to the appropriate agencies, all the allegations leveled against the Pension Reform Task Team, PRTT for investigation and prosecution.

The Director, who expressed concern over the attitude of some Senators who called for the dissolution of the PRTT, however, commended the House of Representatives for its patriotic stand against the call for disbandment of the team.

He said “The legislature has the mandate to hold other arms of government accountable and ensure that resources are properly placed and accounted for.’ However, when the legislature itself becomes a constant agent for corrupt practice, misappropriation and poor performance, governance will be greatly damaged.”

Rafsanjani called on President Gooluck Jonathan to demonstrate his support for the fight against corruption by establishing an independent Pension Funds Monitoring Team, PFMT, to sanitise the system.

He also urged Nigerians and other global anti-corruption organisations to support the efforts of Civil Society Organistions, CSOs, in the country to mount a sustained media campaign on the issues, saying “We should support the crusade to ensure that the culprits are subjected to the rule of law to sustain the fight.”

vanguard newspaper

here is the link

below
http://www.?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vanguardngr.com%2F2012%2F03%2Fojukwu-biafra-soldiers-get-n1-5bn-pension-benefits%2F&h=pAQHQIQdlAQGDJQC_ChR9uwXsLY0i8h4CaM_YdbQ4WkosYA

Thank you very much Gen. Ihijirika. The God of Heavens and Earth will protect you.............................