Reps summon HoS, AGF, others over non-payment of pension arrears

The House of Representatives has summoned the Head of Service of the Federation and the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) over non-payment of pension and gratuity to retired federal civil servants for nine months.

Others summoned include the Director-General of the National Pension Commission and the Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) to provide an explanation.

This followed the adoption of a motion by Sergius Ogun (PDP-Edo) during plenary in Abuja on Tuesday.

Ogun noted that pensioners under the defined benefits scheme of PTAD were reportedly owed monthly pensions and gratuities for a cumulative period of nine months.

The federal lawmaker said he was disturbed by the claim that the failure of PTAD to pay pensioners under the defined benefits scheme for nine months was due to technological glitches.

He added that the failure of PTAD to pay pensioners’ monthly pensions and gratuities based on technological glitches amounts to gross incompetence and ineffectiveness on the part of PTAD.

He stated that the claim by PTAD that the technological glitches which caused it to be in arrears of pension and gratuities in the domain of the AGF and Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) was unacceptable.

The House of Reps, therefore, urged PTAD to appear before the Committees on Pension and Public Service Matters and provide an explanation for the non-payment

The House also mandated the Committees on Pension, Public Service Matters, and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance with this resolution and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.

The Star