By Oluwakemi Kindness
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released N7.61 billion to nine Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) for immediate payment to 4,237 retired officers, as Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi reaffirmed his commitment to improving retirees’ welfare.
A statement on Friday by Abdulahi Maiwada says Adeniyi announced the disbursement during a dialogue with retired Customs officers on Tuesday, saying the funds had already been transferred to the PFAs for payment into beneficiaries’ individual accounts.
He said the payment reflects the Service’s resolve to honour its obligations to officers who dedicated decades to serving the nation.
“Our Service must remain strong and financially capable of meeting its obligations to both serving officers and retirees,” Adeniyi said, stressing that retirees’ welfare is critical to the future of the institution.
The Comptroller-General also assured the retirees that Customs would continue engaging them directly to address their concerns and eliminate misinformation.
“I acknowledge the concerns and suggestions you have raised. We convened this dialogue to promote better understanding and reduce the effect of rumours and unofficial information on the relationship between the Service and its retired personnel,” he said.
According to figures presented at the meeting, Premium Pension has the highest number of beneficiaries with 2,268 retirees, followed by Access-ARM Pension Managers with 1,223.
Other beneficiaries include Leadway Pensions (403), TrustFund Pensions (156), FCMB Pensions (144), Veritas Glanvills Pensions (28), Norrenberger Pensions (11), and Fidelity Pension Managers (4).
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Human Resources Development, DCG Tijjani Abe, and other members of the Customs management team, who assured the retirees that their concerns would receive attention at both Board and Management meetings.
The retirees commended Adeniyi for releasing the pension funds and creating a platform for direct engagement.
They urged the Customs leadership to sustain the dialogue to strengthen ties between serving officers and retired personnel.
The latest payment comes as the Federal Government advances reforms to Nigeria’s pension system, including plans to review provisions of the Pension Reform Act 2014 in line with the 1999 Constitution, with the aim of improving retirees’ welfare.
