By Henry Omunu, Abuja.
The House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing the activities of the Pension Commission (PENCOM) on Thursday quered the office of the accountant general to the government to the federation over delay in remitting pension contributions by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Chairman of the House ad hoc committee, Rep. Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbbonayinma issued the query after submissions by PENCOM indicted the accountant general’s office for the non – remittance of pension contributions of federal workers for April – May, 2017 and July 2018.
Rep. Agbonayinma had questioned the acting PENCOM Director General, Aisha Umar why there were discrepancies in the submissions submitted to the committee in terms of pension contributions by federal workers.
According to him, in the month of April and May 2017 there was no remittances recorded and same thing was replicated in July 2018 and demanded to know where the pension contributions were domiciled.
Responding, the acting PENCOM chief executive admitted that she can’t confirm the whereabouts of the remittances but asked the head of contribution to respond to the query raised by the House member.
Responding, PENCOM Head, Contributory Scheme, Lam Lohinmi disclosed that “once in a while it happens, but we don’t know where the money is located because it’s usually domiciled at the CBN.
“At times, it’s later paid in arrears by the accountant general of the federation and it’s stated in our submission with you,” he stated.
This explanation didn’t go down well with the committee members who immediately declared the situation an abnormally and resolved to look into the non remittances at subsequent sittings of the committee.
President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba in his submission before the committee, decried the delay in reconstituting the board of PENCOM by the President, adding that “there’s the need to constitute the board of PENCOM without any further delay.
“As we all can see, the acting management has over stayed as we need a board because there’s no provision in the Act for an acting management.”
Earlier, the PENCOM acting Director General, Aisha Umar had dismissed all the allegations against her management team that prompted the House probe.
She also denied rumours of selective recruitment and promotion by the commission, adding that “on the issue of payment of massive arrears to some top management staff, we only followed the law as stipulated by the tenure system for office holders.
“The tenure system advocates that no director should stay beyond eight years and what we paid was 300 per cent of their annual income after occupying such office after five years and thereafter 10 per cent.
“On massive promotion, we followed the stipulation of Section 17 of the PENCOM Reform Act and it was duly approved by the secretary to the government of the federation.
However, Rep Benjamin Wayo, a member of the ad hoc committee accused the acting director general of illegally applying Section 17 of the extant Act as there was no board to approve such promotions and described the said promotions as illegal.
Thereafter, the committee demanded for the letter sent by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Senate to confirm board members of the commission and the different list also sent by acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
Rep. Agbonayinma at this point asked the House Committee Chairman on PENCOM, Rep. Mohammed Shekarau to explain what happened at the Senate.
According to the lawmaker, Buhari sent a letter for confirmation of the board members and later while on medical vacation the acting President sent another list and went on to announce the names of the board members giving them a mandate to resume work immediately.
“This made the Senate to finally jettison the approval for the board list till date,” he added.
In his ruling, Rep. Agbonayinma said the committee would look into what happened to both letters and act appropriately and further directed the PENCOM boss to furnish the committee with all scheduled payments, training programmes, minutes of meetings and scheduled trips by upon by top management staff of the commission.
The ad hoc committee adjourned the investigative hearing sine die.
