The Senate will investigate the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (HOSF) on funds disbursed to it for the payment of pensions.
Sen. Aloysius Etok, Chairman of the senate joint committee on Establishment and Public Service and that of States and Local Governments Administratio nnn made this known in Abuja on Friday while briefing journalists.
Etok said the investigation was part of the ongoing probe of the administration of pension payments in the country.
The chairman added that the investigation would determine how some of the funds were allegedly traced to private accounts in some commercial banks.
He disclosed that the committee's zonal hearings had come up with a common complaint on pension matters, especially the harmonisation of the old Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) and the new contributory pension schemes.
According to him, the various states in the country are also complaining of the failure of the Federal Government to remit to them its share of the pension.
“The committee observed that the federal government was indebted to almost all the states that have made presentations. The endless verifications had not helped matters either.
“For instance, the decision of the federal government in 2002 to stop State Governments from paying federal share of pensions, led to mounting of arrears of pension and gratuities of pensioners with federal share.”
Etok held that the task force set up by the office of the HOSF on the matter, had also compounded the plight of federal government pensioners.
“The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) alleged that the Desk Officers in the office of the Head of Service were not sympathetic to the plight of the pensioners.??
“They were inaccessible, arrogant and brutal especially the chairman of the Task Force.”
He announced that the committee was collating facts and figures from the states on how the pension funds were disbursed.
“Details, figures and facts would be disclosed during the public hearing in Abuja.
“When you are investigating issues like this, you have to go to the states and Local Governments to get the facts which we are going to verify at the Abuja hearing.”
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