Idris Abdulrahman is a due for retirement in 2019. By next year, he would have spent 35 years in active service and 60 years of age. In an interview at the side-line of a recent pre-retirement workshop held in Abuja, he expressed sadness that retirees are going through hell in Nigeria. He talks delay in accrued rights, retirement planning and the need for the federal government to prioritise the welfare of retirees.
What is your take on the contributory pension scheme in Nigeria?
We want government to recognize the fact that through the contributory pension scheme, retirees have been going through hell in this country. How can you contribute money over the years and when you come to collect it, you still go through hell? It is not easy and government must find a way of addressing this issue. Now, how do you address the issue, that is, the benefits supposed to be paid by government before the enactment of the pension act? Government delays it a lot and they take more than one year. The law says after three months of retirement, you begin to enjoy your benefits but here, it takes you more than year despite the contributions you have made. So government should know that retirees are still suffering.
What do you think is the way forward concerning continued delay in the release of accrued rights by the federal government?
They have to budget for it in time and that is where the National Pension Commission comes in. The Commission should be able to make their budget in time and mount pressure on government to pay up the benefits otherwise we will continue to have problems because federal government is supposed to pay the accrued rights from the day you started this job, until 2004 when the contributory Act was enacted. Another issue is that there was a proposal before the National Assembly that instead of 50 per cent payable to retirees as lump sum, it should be increased to 75 per cent, but the National Pension Commission and Pension Fund Administrators have been opposing it. Why should they oppose it? It is my money, so I should be entitled to have it. If you want to be fair to people who have served the government for 30 years and above, give them their benefits because that is the way out.
Now that you know that your pension may be delayed due to delayed accrued rights, what plans have you made to keep paying your bills before pension starts coming?
For me as an individual, I am into poultry and I have a mini supermarket. This is because I have envisaged this kind of situation and have tailored my mind towards how to overcome it, and therefore retirees should also put this into consideration and not wait for government. We should all go out to think outside the box in this situation. Like I said, the future is bleak despite the reforms.
Would you say the Contributory Pension Scheme is better than the old defined benefit scheme?
It is supposed to be better, that is why it is called a reform. When you do a reform and the essence is to improve on a system, it has benefits because this time around government is saying I cannot pay everything for you. So, it is good but PenCom should be proactive and submit their proposal for payment of benefits in good time because people are suffering
Is there any synergy with the legislature to tackle the issues raised?
As an individual, no, and I don’t belong to any organisation
