Panel Concludes Investigations on Suspended Pension Directorate DG, Directors

 •Turns in report to EFCC 

By  Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

The probe panel set up by the federal government to scrutinise the activities of the suspended Director General of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Nellie Mayshak, has concluded its investigations.

The probe panel, THISDAY confirmed, has already turned in its report to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for necessary action.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun had recently suspended Mayshak and three other PTAD directors.

Although the specific offences for their suspension were not stated, Mayshak and the other affected directors were said to have been suspended over alleged financial misdemeanor.

A top government functionary, who confirmed the conclusion of the probe, and the submission of the report to the EFCC, told THISDAY that the investigations had nothing to do with the management pension funds, but the “operational expenditure of pension funds.”

When contacted to confirm the conclusion of the probe, the Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Finance, Mr. Festus Akanbi declined comment.

The  suspension of Mayshak and the three directors reportedly followed a searchlight on PTAD by the Ministry of Finance.

PTAD was established in August 2013 in line with the provisions of Section 30 sub-section (2) (a) of the Pension Reform Act (PRA) of 2004 (amended in 2014),which stipulated the establishment of an independent pension department for the Public Service of the Federation.

The agency is responsible for the pension administration of the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), and was established to address the numerous pensioners’ complaints that border on such issues as the  non-payment of monthly pension, short payment of pension and gratuity, removal of name on pension payment voucher, non-payment of harmonised pension arrears, irregular payment of federal pensions and non-receipt of pension after retirement, among others.

PTAD is made up of the Civil Service Pension Department (CSPD), Police Pension Department (PPD), Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Department (CIPPD),Treasury Funded Parastatals Pension Department (PaPD), and the Pension Support Services Department (PSSD)

In accordance with another Act of the National Assembly, the Military Pension Department, and the Security Agencies Pension Department were exempt from the consolidation and management of PTAD.

PTAD had in July last year disclosed that there were no fewer than 132,000 pensioners from the core civil service, parastatals, agencies and the police drawing pensions from the federal government.

At the same period, it reportedly uncovered 3,000 ghost police pensioners, and saved over N100 million monthly, which would have been paid to the ghost pensioners.

The establishment of PTAD was a marked response to the huge police pension fraud involving the former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT),Abdulrasheed Maina, who has already been declared wanted by the police.