The federal government has concluded arrangement to pay the N2.5 billion severance benefits and pension arrears owed retirees of the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST). According to the arrangement, the office of the accountant general of the federation will commence the payment by Wednesday this week.
Postmaster general of the federation, Mallam Ibrahim Mori-Baba gave this assurance at a press briefing, at the weekend, in Abuja. He equally debunked the report that NIPOST management has diverted the money meant for the payment of the pensioners.
The accountant general of the federation was quoted in one of the television stations as saying that the money has been released to NIPOST to settle the retirees, but the PMG stated that no money was released to NIPOST to pay the retirees, who have been protesting the delay in the payment of their severance benefits and pension arrears.
Represented by the assistant postmaster general, Public Relations, Mr Taiye Olaniyi, the NIPOST boss said that the money was not in the custody of the service, adding that NIPOST has no power to disburse money to the retirees.
“The insulation that the postmaster general and his management have diverted funds meant for the payment of retirees’ severance benefits and pension arrears is not only false, but also impossible taking cognisance that it is not even the NIPOST that disburses such funds which invariably are paid into individuals pensioner’s personal accounts,” he said.
The duty of NIPOST, he said, was to work out the entitlement of each pensioner and hand same to the office of the accountant general, which was empowered by law to pay such money to the retirees. He said it was accountant general’s office and not NIPOST that would pay the retirees.
While appealing to the pensioners to be patient, the PMG said that the federal government has released Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) through the office of the Bureau for Public Service Reform (BPSR), adding that the next stage was the actual release of the money by accountant general of the federation, whom, he said, would pay the money to the pensioners’ personal accounts.
Mori-Baba stated that NIPOST has been supporting the retirees through internally generated revenue. “For example, the sum of N236, 107, 603.03 was sourced internally to defray pension arrears from August 2008 to February 2009, while the sum of N36, 671, 867.64 was used to pay for March 2009.
“In November 2009, N120, 000, 000.00 was similarly sources to defray arrears of April to October, 2009.”
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