Pensioners ask FG to probe PTAD scribe

Members of the Federal Universities Pensioners Association (FUPA), Bayero University Kano chapter have passed a vote-of-no-confidence on the Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Barr. Sharon Ikeazor, and called for her probe.

The associations disclosed this at a joint press conference with seven other pension unions in the education sector from Kano, Katsina, Zamfara and Plateau states in Kano on Tuesday.

They accused Mrs. Ikeazor over nonpayment of their 36 months pension arrears saying she adopted a divide and rule tactics to create divisions among the sector unions fighting on common fronts for their entitlements by paying some and neglecting others.

Speaking on behalf of the associations, Engr. Mustapha Musa Yakasai, alleged that anytime the executive secretary calls for a meeting with stakeholders with a view to clear some issues surrounding the 33% backlog of pension arrears, only individuals singing her praises are allowed to talk as those with dissenting views are being silenced.

He bemoaned the condition of federal pensioners in the hands of PTAD, thereby urging President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene to ensure that all federal pensioners from all sectors are paid their 36 months pension arrears.

“Federal pensioners are suffering in the hands of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD); after spending the most useful parts of their lives serving the nation, the situation most of them are now living is really pathetic.

“The worse part of it is the selective manner of payment adopted by PTAD and its method of divide and rule among the pensioners.

“We know that some of us in health sector like in the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital were paid 12 months out of 36 month just last August, by that we tried to tell them that they didn’t do well, what they ought do is to pay all of us, if they don’t have money to pay all pensioners in Nigeria they shouldn’t have paid one section” he said.

He therefore urged the President “to constitute a panel of inquiry to investigate the activities of PTAD since inception, what it took over, all other allocations made to it, its disbursement, the mode of disbursement and also ascertain the claims of the executive secretary on the sources of the payments to other sectors.”