Pension: Ekiti Remits N227m

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

The Ekiti State government has remitted a total of N227million as
employers and employees’ contributions within the first one year of
the Contributory Pension Scheme which started in January 2017.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti at a stakeholders’ forum, the Executive
Secretary of the State Pension Commission, Mr James Akinola, said the
amount which was remitted between January and December, 2017 was for
Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Judiciary, College of Health
Sciences and Local Governments.

According to the Executive Secretary, 6643 workers were eligible to
participate in the scheme but 4,687 were registered for the scheme.

In his speech, the State Head of Service, Dr Olugbenga Faseluka
commended Governor Ayodele Fayose for regularly remitting both
employer and employees’ contributions to the scheme; saying that the
state government can now project the year that the Defined Benefit
Scheme would come to an end.

Faseluka who hailed the role played by labour leaders in sensitizing
workers on the need to key into the scheme said the monthly payment
alert being received by the employees had resolved workers’ apathy
towards the scheme.

“I wish to use this medium to express my gratitude to Governor Ayodele
Fayose for his utmost support and initiative in seeing to the
successful implementation of CPS in Ekiti State. There is no doubt
that his support for the scheme has resulted in the successful
implementation of the scheme in the State. Ekiti has become one of the
leading states in the implementation of the CPS in Nigeria”, Faseluka
said.

Also speaking, the Head of the Southwest zone of the National Pension
Commission, Mr Murtala Modibbo, hailed the state government for
organising the stakeholders’ forum; saying that it has provided
feedback and aided professional handling of the scheme in Ekiti State.

While explaining that some African countries, especially Ghana, Malawi
and Tanzania are understudying Nigeria’s Contributory Pension Scheme,
Modibbo said the scheme provides transparent and effective pension
administration in the public service.

Modibbo who acknowledged that Ekiti has consistently remitted its
contributions to the scheme said the compliance is a key sign of
successful implementation of CPS in the State.