10th November, 2010
Pensioners in Abuja on Tuesday commended the Federal Government for paying the harmonised pension arrears.
Some of the pensioners, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said they were happy that the Federal Government kept to its promise.
They said that the Federal Government paid the money into their accounts before Nov 5.
Mr. Felix Ajoku, an executive member of the Association of Federal Public Service Retirees, said the sum of N9.3 billion was released on Nov. 4, for the pension arrears.
“As I am standing with you now, I have got my own and so many others have got theirs.
“There are people that have not got and for the people that have not got, it is not as a result of lack of money in the bank but it is a technical problem, which we tackled yesterday.
“And between today and tomorrow they will be settled,” he said.
Alhaji Yusuf Sariki, the Chairman, Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Abuja Chapter, congratulated his colleagues for the payment of the arrears, which is hitting their banks gradually.
Sariki said their pensions for October was also paid with the arrears.
“I have got my own, both the harmonised arrears and the October pension and I want to appeal to my colleagues to give them enough time.
“They have tried to see that the situation is addressed. The tension is too high, things have gone wrong before and I think they are rectifying it little by little,” he said.
Mr. Paul Archibong, a pensioner, said he was happy that the Federal Government has finally answered them by paying them the arrears.
Archibong said though he had not collected his own from the bank but the bank has alerted him that money was in his account.
NAN recalls that a statement from Mr. Tope Ajakaiye, a Deputy Director in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, promised that the payment of the harmonised pension arrears would be made in November.
It said those whose biometrics had been captured and their claims verified would be paid the arrears of the harmonised pension in line with approved rates, which is six percent and 15 percent for 2003 and 2007 respectively.
NAN also reports that Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, Head of Service of the Federation, had last Friday said the Federal Government had released N9.3 billion as pensionersâ€