Pensioners Raise Concerns Over PTAD ES Re-appointment

Federal pensioners under the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate(PTAD) have raised concerns over the re-appointment of Dr Chioma Ejikeme as executive secretary.

The pensioners also demanded prudent audit of the activities of PTAD under her leadership including 163 million naira monthly running cost, recovered looted pensions funds by both Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ( ICPC) as well as the recovered 9 billion naira asset from Bot’s and insurance companies.

They also accused Ejikeme of allegedly cutting pensioners’ monthly token allowance and requested that the ES account for the bogus stakeholders forum meetings across the country and the “I AM ALIVE” project expenditures.

According to a circular sighted by the Leadership yesterday, the federal pensioners have rejected Ejikeme’s reappointment and appealed to the federal government to replace the ES with a decent, honest, sincere, compassionate and hardworking officer within two weeks.

They  warned that any attempt to retain it would amount to nationwide protest by pensioners.

They also accused the ES of not paying the entitlements of  deceased members to their respective next of kins, despite monies made available on monthly basis for the purpose.

The circular reads in parts, “For the past four years of her first tenure, the pensioners under her purview suffered untold hardship, she is not pensioners friendly, rather she is terribly hostile.

With the short time of her exit after the expiration of her first tenure, pensioners applauded her exit with a lot of positive achievements.

“Where is your re-appointment letter from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, the President is not aware of your re- appointment, pensioners are totally fed-up with your obnoxious policies since you entered PTAD as the custodian.

We therefore, appeal to the federal government and any concerned authority to please remove this E.S. PTAD, Dr Chioma Ejikeme now in order to avoid more sorrow, pains on pensioners of the defined benefits scheme”.

Reacting to the development, the spokesperson of the National Union of Pensioners (NUP ), Comrade Bumi  Ogunkolade told LEADERSHIP that the union was aware of the different challenges faced ny pensioners  under PTAD.

Ogunkolade however said that the union will respond to the development in due course.