10th July, 2024
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has appealed to the Federal Government not to scrap the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) in its implementation of the Oronsaye report.
Mr Godwin Abumisi, NUP President made the appeal in a memorandum presented at a public hearing on Wednesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the public hearing was organised by the House of Representatives Special Ad-Hoc Committee on the Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies.
Abumisi, represented by Mr Asen Sambe, Vice President of NUP, North Central, said the appeal was imperative because the union was apprehensive of the fate of the only agency responsible for the welfare and well-being of its members..
According to him, scrapping PTAD would spell doom for pensioners across the country.
“The pensioners’ union as a body wishes to strongly appeal to the Federal Government through this platform of public hearing that PTAD should be spared of the sledgehammer of being scrapped, merged or subsumed under any ministry as contemplated/speculated.
“PTAD had recorded commendable successes, and indeed rekindled the hope of the hitherto hopeless pensioners in their seamless efforts to make life better for the vulnerable pensioners.
“Therefore, given the above scenario, it will amount to returning to the “dark days” of agony and pains, if PTAD is caught in this web of restructuring, or eventually conceded to any parent ministry for supervision, with no clear-cut objective or direction,”
“As the committee on the review, the union wishes to crave your indulgence to save pensioners from going back to the horrible nightmare of the old order of oppression, depression and hopelessness,” he said.
Abumisi stressed that the transfer of pensioners’ matters and administration to PTAD in 2013 had addressed major challenges of retirees
He added that, as partners in progress, and close watchers of the activities of the directorate, they could proudly beat their chests to say without fear of contradiction that PTAD had done well over the years.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the NUP, however, gave alternative prayers in the event the federal government insisted on scrapping PTAD.
”If PTAD cannot skip or escape the scrapping or the merger bombshell, the union is of the strong opinion that the best place to merge it with, for safe landing, is the National Pension Commission (Pencom).
“We so much believe and trust that it has the manpower, the technical know-how and the capacity to absorb it for effective management,” Abumisi said.
NAN reports PTAD is the legally recognised body that pays the gratuity, monthly pensions and other retirement benefits of members under the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS)
The Oronsaye report on MDA’s restructuring had recommended that PTAD should be scrapped and its functions taken over by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
(NAN)
