By Nicholas Dechi
SOME pensioners in Makurdi, Benue State capital, have described the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) as lacking in implementation credibility.
The pensioners, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Saturday in Makurdi, said though the policy was designed to be the best pension scheme, it had failed.
A former federal civil servant, Mr Tsea Humbe, told NAN that the scheme was designed to reduce the frustration hitherto experienced by retirees after exiting service.
Humbe noted that before the introduction of the scheme, most retirees had difficulties accessing their pension many years after retirement.
He said it was based on that challenge that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) introduced the scheme to ameliorate the sufferings of the retirees.
“However, this challenge is still staring in the face of the retirees. Most retirees still find it difficult to access their pensions after exiting service.
“I am a victim. I retired in 2020, and I am yet to start receiving my pension. Though the process is on, I have not started enjoying my pension,” Humbe said.
Another retiree, Mr Francis Myaga, called on FGN to intensify supervision of the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to ensure they were treating pension issues with dispatch.
Myaga expressed optimism that the measure would help retirees start drawing pensions at least two months after retirement.
The retiree therefore, advised the government to reduce most of the bureaucratic bottlenecks to pave the way for pensioners to have easy access to their pensions. (NAN)
