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Retirees from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) have alleged that the management of the agency diverted about N1.5 billion pension funds meant for pensioners dating back to 2003.
At a delegate conference held by the Airspace Management Pensioners Association of Nigeria (AMPAN), an affiliate of the Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria (FEPPAN) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos at the weekend, the association’s chairman, Kester Omotayo alleged that the pensioners were being shortchanged monthly by the management of NAMA.
He told the media that this payment issue has lingered for over 10 years, maintaining that this was either due to ignorance, inefficiency or corruption in the system. He said that the short payment of the pensioners started with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) returnee pensioners to NAMA in 2005, stressing that the pension increase effective from 2003 was unimplemented by the agency’s management.
He said that the Human Resources Department of NAMA was informed of the issue but that they have refused to address the problem; rather, he alleged that the department took offence and decided to delay actions on its several submissions on the issue since 2017.
“The pension indebtedness has accumulated to over N1 billion. We have submitted a fool-proof tabulated analysis to NAMA management for well over a year, but, as usual, there was no positive action taken. Our request for dialogue on the issue has also been rebuffed.
“It is not unlikely that NAMA operates on two pension structures, may be to deliberately cover or attempt to cover some sharp practices in the pension division of the Human Resources Department. This we suspect when in 2017, we requested them for the structure with which our pensions were being paid.
“We were not only denied, but were told that it was a classified document. This has been reported to NAMA Pension Board of Trustees for well-over two years. The same board accountant has also failed to render statement of account to the present board since its inception. The previous board accountant rendered account regularly on every quarterly meeting,” Omotayo alleged.
Daily Sun reached out to NAMA to respond to the allegations and the agency denied the accusations, describing them as spurious and false. The agency said it is up-to-date in its obligation to pensioners as they have received their November remunerations as at November 26, 2020.
“The facts on ground are as follows: The agency received a correspondence from the pensioners whereby they alleged irregularities in the payment of their entitlements owing to disparity with those of other agencies in the sector. Consequently, the agency set up a committee (with membership comprising pensioners themselves) to investigate and come up with findings.
“NAMA does not and will not for any reason, operate two pension accounts. It is impossible given the existing Treasury Single Account (TSA) platform in operation. As it stands today, the panel is still sitting and is yet to come up with its findings.
“ NAMA is up-to-date in its obligation to pensioners as they have received their November remunerations as at 26th of November, 2020. We are therefore startled and disenchanted to hear that some officials of the organization have decided to run to the press on a matter that is still being investigated. We make bold therefore to say that the agency runs on a transparent platform with zero tolerance for corruption, even as it is poised to protect and promote the interests of its senior citizens at all times,” the agency said.
