Pensioners Demand Reinstatement of Suspended PTAD DG

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Pensioners across the country have attributed the deterioration in the quality of verification exercise and payment to the recent suspension of the Executive Secretary and Director General of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Mrs. Nellie Mayshak, by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. KemiAdeosun.

They have therefore called for her immediate reinstatement. The pensioners expressed disappointment over the agency’ s inability to follow the blue print of Mayshak, whom they described as an “outstanding public sector reform expert”.
They have made series of complaints about the agency losing the glory and values it was known for while Mayshak was in charge.

To this end, the pensioners have called for her reinstatement, insisting that her suspension must have been done in error.

Though, the minister had said the suspension was effected to give room for investigations of alleged corruption in PTAD under her watch; the pensioners, who took to the agency’s facebook page and other conventional forum to register their complaints, insisted that the numerous contributions of Mayshak to PTAD should not be swept under the carpet over unproven allegations.

The pensioners therefore expressed their displeasure over the ill treatment meted out to them since Mayshak left office, even as they expressed the fear that the management of pensions under the defined benefit scheme, which Mayshak upheld may not live up to its mandate.

They recalled that while the embattled DG served as PTAD boss, the policies she introduced put an end to their gory tales.
In a letter, a pensioner, Mr. Samuel Ajunwa lauded Mayshak’s prompt payment of pensions, and also commended her conduct of verification exercise and commitment to pensioners’ welfare.

Commending her effort while in office, a retired Commissioner of Police, Chief Samuel Fetipigi had said the Defined Benefit Pension Scheme being transferred to PTAD and pensioners’ verification exercise under her watch recorded tremendous and commendable successes.

He stated: “All the problems that had beset the payment of police pensioners are being resolved by PTAD. Our pension has been updated to the new rate, while many of the arrears have been paid. I am sure that by the end of this exercise, all police pensioners, including widows and the next of kin would not have problems anymore.”

They emphasised that she also digitised the old pension scheme for effective service delivery to ensure seamless payment of pensioners as well as bring transparency into the system, stressing that PTAD under her watch leveraged on technology to get database of pensioners; to help the agency to know the actual number of pensioners by removing ghost pensioners from the system.

The embattled DG was alleged to be earning between N50 and 60 million monthly, an allegation she debunked as false, baseless, and maligning to her character.
She had described the allegation as an act perpetuated by mischief makers with the intention to run down her hard earned reputation.