A retired Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology who retired from College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Boniface Oye-Adeniran, has again written President Muhammadu Buhari as he continues the battle to get his last consolidated salary as his monthly pension.
Professor Oye-Adeniran, who retired three years ago in June 2019, had written to President Buhari twice earlier, in December 2021 and in Novemeber 2021, about the same issue, before the latest one dated May 26, 2022.
In his December 2021 letter to the President, Oye-Adeniran had accused the Director-General of the National Pension Commssion (PenCom), Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar, of incompetence and promoting corruption, over inability to resolve the Payment of his monthly pension benefits two years and five months after his retirement.
In his latest letter of May 26, 2022, sent to the President throgh the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari via the office email address of the presidential villa, accused the the Director-General of PenCom of snubbing a presidential directive to pay arrears of retirement benefits of all retirees.
In the letter, Oye-Adeniran stated: “Further to my letter to your goodself on 26 December 2021, on the above subject matter, I wish to let you know that the DG, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar and Head of Benefits and Insurance Department, S. M. Bwala, National Pension Commission (PenCom), have both failed to authorise payment of last CONSOLIDATED salary as my monthly Pension and its arrears three years after my retirement and four years after they were physically present at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos to capture my documentation.
“They both replied to the letter – dated 18 September 2020 – sent by my Pension Fund Administrator (PFA), Pension Alliance Limited (PAL Pensions), to them on 17 November 2021, one year and two months after their acknowledgement of the same letter.
“The National Pension Commission in its reply to my Pension Fund Administrator (PFA), six months ago, on 17 November 2021, stated inter alia that: ‘The Commission will pay for the shortfall and its arrears to my PFA once the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) redeems the shortfall.’
“This is a statement from PenCom officials who knew that there would be a shortfall four years ago, 2018 – when they captured my detailed documentation one year before my retirement.
“There has been no further communication and action taken to fulfil its promise and implement its own Guidelines six months after its letter of commitment written to my PFA on 17 November 2021 despite the fact that I retired three years ago in June 2019.
“I should be grateful for an early resolution of my monthly pension and arrears.”
