Adamawa Govt. on Friday inaugurated a 12-member committee for the implementation of state and local government workers’ contributory pension scheme.
State Head of Service Musa Kaibo, who inaugurated the committee in Yola, explained that the scheme was necessary in order to stop the accumulation of huge liabilities from previous administrations.
“To be frank with everyone, pension issues were in the past handled shabbily by previous administrations, which resulted in huge liabilities both at the state and the local government levels.
“Today, state pensioners are owed more than N11.534 billion, while the local government pensioners are owed more than N7.1 billion,” Kaibo said.
He noted that the state government, after consultations with relevant stakeholders, approved that a committee should be set up to prepare grounds for the scheme.
He reiterated that in 2004, the National Assembly passed a law for contributory pension scheme and in 2014, the scheme was made mandatory.
According to Kaibo, the committee’s term of reference is to look at the law(s) passed by State House of Assembly with the view to ensuring its smooth take-off.
“The committee should study the observations made by PENCOM in respect to the law(s) passed by the State House of Assembly.
“Also to recommend to the government the modalities for setting up administrative structures that will drive the scheme.
“The committee will submit to the government modalities for monthly remittances, funding of existing liabilities of gratuities owed to state and local government employees, among others,” he said.
The committee members include the Commissioner for Finance as chairman, the permanent secretary and executive secretary in the state pension board as members.
Other members are Solicitor General, Ministry of Justice, representatives of NLC, NULGE, Nigerian Union of Pensioners, State Accountant General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Local Government Affairs, among others.
He said the committee had eight weeks to submit its report. ( NAN)
AMA/JI/OU