Contributory Pension Scheme: Delta Commits N300m Monthly To Beneficiaries’ Payment


Apparently concerned about the welfare of pensioners in the state, the Delta State Government
has said that it has been releasing
N300 million monthly towards defraying the commitment of workers that retired under the contributory scheme, while the re-computation of the actuarial value of their past services,
in line with the current salary scale is at the completion stage.
The Secretary to the State Government
(SSG), Hon. Festus Ovie Agas made the disclosure during the ongoing ministerial press briefing in Asaba.
He observed that payment to workers
that retired under the old pension scheme was up to date, adding that the state government has also been regular in releasing its 10 per cent counterpart contribution towards the claims of serving workers, which amounts to approximately N322Million monthly into their retirement savings account.
According to him, Delta and Lagos States are the only two states in the country that have achieved this level of commitment, saying that in all states, the payment of the accrued claims from the old pension scheme into the new scheme has been a challenge due to the huge outlay of funds required.
The SSG maintained that it is a credit to the present administration
that it has consistently set aside N300 million monthly for the purpose, noting that releases towards this obligation before the inception of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa administration in 2015 were constant.
Hon. Agas, therefore, appealed to the retirees involved with this claim to “bear with us as we work towards resolving
the actuarial valuation shortly and, therefore, find a way forward towards defraying it.”
On biometric verification of staff, he said that the exercise
was to ensure the integrity of the state’s payroll, disclosing also that the verification exercise of all public officers is to determine the exact number of personnel in the different segments of the state workforce, as well as available vacancies and not to witch hunt anybody.
He added that apart from taming the spectre of ghost workers which has drained enormous resources from government, the exercise will help government to achieve even distribution of personnel, especially teachers and health workers.