The Association of Retired Federal Senior Public Officers of Nigeria (ARFESPON) has called on the management of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) to support the federal government’s plans for a new payment structure for pensioners in the country.
The group said the agency had declined government approval by overruling a table for payment of a new national minimum wage for pensioners set up by the Salaries and Wages Commission and approved by the federal government.
The association also argued that the Federal Ministry of Finance was insensitive in carrying out its supervisory functions on PTAD operations. It alleged that the agency had formed a parallel government by introducing its own pension benefits payment table which has disrupted the normal process and demoted officers from their genuine grade level on retirement to lower salary grade levels.
The President of ARFESPON, Lagos Chapter, Olufemi Odewabi, stated this at the group end-of-the-year party held in Lagos, saying that attention of some functionaries and offices had been drawn to the shortcomings of the PTAD and that it was unfortunate that the offices of Head of Service and Secretary to the Government of the Federation had not addressed the issues.
“However, the anomalies have been highlighted by various groups for a long time. Non-action is equal to compromise and endorsement of the poor attitude of PTAD,” he said.
