Paramilitary pensioners seek review of 2004 Pension Scheme Act

By Gabriel Enogholase

BENIN—PENSIONERS from the paramilitary forces in Nigeria have called on the Federal Government to review the 2004 Pension Act which captured  those who were not eligible, with a view to returning them to the former pension scheme and their gratuity reimbursed. The pensioners, in a statement in Benin, Edo State, weekend, by Mr. P. Hiaghana, at the end of their meeting, accused the Fifth National Assembly of foisting on unsuspecting Nigerians, an allegedly reprehensive, oppressive and discriminative Pension Act devoid of fairness to all.

Noting that the Contributing Pension Scheme was a laudable programme, it said that the 2004 Pension Act from inception was hinged on deceit and self serving motives rather than to address the problems it was meant to solve.

They said: “The legislators of the 5th National Assembly, many of whom are the owners and shareholders of the various PFA’s in the country, enacted the law to suit their whims regardless of whose rights was trampled upon. Otherwise, how could they have plunged would be retirees who had attained 25 years and above of their services into the 2004 Pension Scheme knowing full well that they would not have contributed any substantial amount to their pension?”

They noted that the idea of exempting only those with two years and below of their services from the scheme had exposed their cryptic and nefarious intentions and wondered how feasible it was for anybody to use less than four years to contribute 7 ½ percent of his salary for his pension of 35 years.

The pensioners said that while that was not feasible, those of them who were not eligible by virtue of years served were roped into the scheme because of perceived avenue to make huge gains by the faceless owners of the PFAs.

“The consequence of this was to delve into peoples’ gratuities having observed that the meagre sum contributed would not make up for their pensions and branded it lump sum. Prior to 2004 Pension Act, letters of appointment specially stipulated that employees on retirement are entitled to three years annual salary as gratuity and pension for life.

“This was not considered when enacting their self serving laws, nor did it bother them that the so-called lump sum is a far cry from reality when compared with three years annual salary of the old pension scheme,” they said.