The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS has released N7.61 billion to nine Pension Fund Administrators, PFAs for the payment of benefits to 4,237 retirees, as the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to improving retirees’ welfare.
Adeniyi made the announcement during a dialogue with retired Customs officers, revealing that the funds had been disbursed to the PFAs for onward payment into beneficiaries’ accounts.
According to the breakdown, Premium Pension has 2,268 beneficiaries, Access-ARM Pension Managers 1,223, Leadway Pensions 403, TrustFund Pensions 156, FCMB Pensions 144, Veritas Glanvills Pensions 28, Norrenberger Pensions 11 and Fidelity Pension Managers four.
The Comptroller-General said the welfare of retired officers remains a priority, stressing that the Service must remain financially strong to meet its obligations to both serving and retired personnel.
He urged retirees to maintain constructive engagement with the Service, noting that the dialogue was convened to address concerns, improve communication and reduce misinformation.
“I acknowledge the concerns and suggestions raised, and it is in view of this that we called for 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,” Adeniyi said.
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 due consideration.
The retirees commended the Comptroller-General for creating a platform for direct engagement and appealed for regular interactions to strengthen relations between serving officers and retired personnel.
The dialogue comes as the Federal Government continues efforts to improve pension administration through the ongoing review of relevant provisions of the Pension Reform Act 2014 and the 1999 Constitution, as amended.