FCT area councils’ pensioners to be paid N512m

The Director, Federal Capital Territory ((FCT) Area Council Staff Pension Board (ACSPB), Dr Nanzing Nden, said pensioners on the payroll of the board would soon be paid their emoluments.

Nden, who disclosed this at the weekend, said the Minister of State, FCT, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has approved the sum of N512 million as pension payment to 132 retiring and deceased officers of FCT’s six area councils and Local Education Authorities (LEAs).

He said the payment covered accrued rights and death benefits for mostly personnel who retired or died before the COVID-19 lockdown.

The director, however, said the claims for payment were being processed through the Treasury to the retirees’ Pension Fund Administrators’ accounts.

He added that after the payment, the board would process files received after the easing of the lockdown for possible payment sometime in October or November 2020.

“We intend to start real-time payment for those whose files are being brought to us in advance of retirement,’’ he further said.

“At the time I took over, the board had a pension liability of N3.9 billion in unpaid pension and accrued rights benefits. But over the period of time, we’ve been able to pay this liability and improve on the pay-out.

“As of today, we’ve paid over N6.1 billion as accrued rights benefits and death benefits to 1,464 retired and deceased officers of the area councils and LEAs with over N1.2 billion as monthly pension. We have also implemented a group life assurance policy for staff under our management,” he explained.