The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has approved the release of the sum of N2,253,214,569.36 as pension / gratuity and payment of Group Life Insurance claim for 445 retirees, including families of some deceased officers.
The Director, FCT Pension Department, Mr. Rotimi Babatunde Ajayi, made this disclosure during a stakeholders meeting with the pension desk officers of the SDAs in Abuja, said that this sum also include the 2019 arrears benefits of the affected staff.
According to a statement made available to RegentAfrica Times by the Head, Information and communication,
FCT Pension Department, Lydia Fulani, the approval is for accrued benefits to 197, who retired from Secretariats, Departments and Agencies of the FCT Administration and 248 deceased next of kin.
Ajayi remarked that the FCTA will ensure that accrued right benefit is paid to staff, who were in service before the pension Reform Act of 2004 that birthed the Contributory Pension Scheme.
He revealed that the approval is sequel to the payment into the beneficiaries Retirement Savings Accounts to access the retirement benefits from their Pension Fund Administrators; adding that the payment also covered for the 2019 arrears on the basis of salary increment.
The Director further disclosed that out of the total sum, N964,123,713.47 is for Next of Kin (NOK) of the 248 deceased officers; N587,456,832.78 for payment of accrued right benefits to 197 Retirees ; while N701,634,023.11 was released as pension arrears occasioned by salary increment of the year 2019.
He commended the leadership of the FCTA for this kind gesture to the senior citizens; saying that this has really given them hope.
The Director, however, enjoined pension desk officers in the various SDAs and self funded agencies to work towards improvement in the staff reconciliation and by extension curb the problem of wrong PIN /PFA matters.
Ajayi noted that the authorities are committed to timely pension payments to improve the living standards of retirees.
He assured that the FCTA will continue to prioritize the payment of pension to upscale the wellbeing of the beneficiaries.
