By Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released N7.61 billion to nine Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) for the payment of retirement benefits to 4,237 retirees, as the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to improving the welfare of its retired personnel.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Service said Adeniyi disclosed this during a dialogue with NCS retirees, noting that the funds had already been disbursed to the PFAs for onward payment into the retirees’ individual accounts.
According to the breakdown presented at the meeting, Access-ARM Pension Managers had 1,223 beneficiaries, Premium Pension had 2,268, Leadway Pensions 403, TrustFund Pensions 156, FCMB Pensions 144, Veritas Glanvills Pensions 28, Norrenberger Pensions 11, and Fidelity Pension Managers four, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 4,237.
Addressing the retirees, Adeniyi said the Service must remain strong and financially capable of meeting its obligations to both serving officers and retirees.
He stressed that the welfare of personnel who had dedicated decades of service to the NCS was vital to the institution’s future.
He also urged the retirees to maintain constructive engagement with the Service.
“I acknowledge the concerns and suggestions you have raised. It is in view of this that we convened this dialogue to promote better understanding and reduce the impact of rumours and unofficial information on the relationship between the Service and its retired personnel,” Adeniyi said.
The dialogue was attended by the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Human Resources Development, DCG Tijjani Abe, and other members of the Management Team, who assured the retirees that their concerns would receive due consideration at the Service’s Board and Management meetings.
The retirees commended the Comptroller-General and the Management Team for providing a platform for direct engagement and responding to their concerns.
They also appealed for the dialogue to be sustained as part of efforts to strengthen the relationship between serving officers and retired personnel.
The meeting comes amid ongoing efforts to improve retirees’ pensions following the Federal Government’s decision to review the statutory provisions governing pensions, including Section 15(4) of the Pension Reform Act 2014, in line with Section 173(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
