Pensioners Appeal to President Tinubu for Payment of Pension Arrears

• Federal Civil Service Pensioners appeal to President Bola Tinubu for funds to address long-standing unpaid pension entitlement arrears through the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD)
• The pensioners appreciate Dr. Chioma Ejikeme’s leadership at PTAD, call for timely pension arrears settlement, and request an upward pension review

Federal Civil Service Pensioners (FCSP) have issued an appeal to President Bola Tinubu, requesting the release of funds to the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) to address their longstanding unpaid pension entitlement arrears.

Under the (old) defined benefits scheme, these pensioners have faced challenges related to unsettled arrears and a lack of harmonization, despite regular monthly pension payments since PTAD assumed responsibility for pension disbursements from the Federal Civil Service. National Chairman of Federal Pensioners, Sunday Omezi, stressed that these issues cannot be attributed to Dr. Chioma Ejikeme, the Executive Secretary of PTAD.

The pensioners are urging the federal government to allocate funds to PTAD for the settlement of pension arrears. There are files for both deceased and living members of the pension union that remain uncleared at PTAD due to the unavailability of funds.

Omezi explained, “We cannot blame it on Dr. Ejikeme because we know she has played her part; it is the federal government that has not done what we are fighting for.”

Expressing their appreciation to President Tinubu for reappointing Dr. Chioma Ejikeme as the Executive Secretary of PTAD, the pensioners have confidence in the PTAD’s ability to prioritize the payment of pension arrears to their members once the necessary funds are provided.

“We must say that the reappointment is a well-deserved one, in view of her track record in the administration of pensions, culminating in the prompt payment of monthly pensions, payment of pension arrears, as well as landmark innovations that have eased the process of pension management and the overall improvement of pensioners’ welfare,” Omezi stated during a press conference in Abuja.

Prior to PTAD’s involvement, pensioners used to gather in Abuja for days to undergo verification by authorities to receive pension payments, a practice that was transformed by the pension watchdog’s reforms. Under Ejikeme’s leadership, pensioners can be verified from the comfort of their homes using the “I Am ALIVE” verification platform, and they receive their monthly pensions promptly.

The union has also called on the Executive Secretary to expedite the upward review of pensions for all its members, citing constitutional provisions that call for a review every five years.

In the meantime, PTAD has reported the finalization of a payment of N1,023,756,227.45 to 7,091 pensioners from the Power and Transport sectors of the parastatals pension department. This payment represents 39 percent of accrued pension arrears from August 2015 to September 2023, following a computation of pension based on career details, salary structure, and applicable increments.

The back-end computation exercise was conducted to ensure fairness and justice in line with PTAD’s mandate, making certain that each pensioner receives their rightful pension. Ejikeme affirmed the federal government’s commitment to the welfare of federal pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme, with the assurance that arrears will continue to be paid as long as the government allocates the necessary funding.