NPA Retirees decry non payment of pension

Secretary, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Retirees Association, Mr Lanre Adisa, yesterday alleged that the ports authority had not paid pensions to those who retired in 2006.
Adisa said the authority had remained adamant, in spite of calls by the affected retirees in the past four years.
He said that though the NPA paid them large sums of money when they were leaving, its refusal to include them in the list of its pensioners was against Federal Government's directive.
Adisa noted that the retirees were among Federal Government workers laid off during the government's rightsizing of its workforce between 2005 and 2007.
He claimed that the government, in a circular dated Aug.3, 2009, directed ministries and parastatal-agencies to put pensionable employees affected by the rightsizing on pensioners' list.
"We are more than 4000 that retired in 2006/2007, but we were not included in the pension scheme of the NPA.
"Are we not Federal Government retirees? Why are we not placed on pension?
"We were deceived and cajoled to fill a form which had two options -- five years pension buyout or immediate placement on pension scheme.
"Over 90 per cent of us opted for five years pension buyout with the belief that it meant a five-year pension upfront payment," Adisa said.
The retiree said NPA had a policy of giving an upfront payment of five years pension to retirees who applied for such, and that such retirees would still be entitled to pension after five years.
However, a source at the NPA told NAN that the retirees signed a pact with the management of the authority to be paid five years severance package as at the time of their disengagement.
The source, who pleaded anonymity said that retirees on NPA's pensioners' list were about 7,000 and that the ex-workers who left with the severance package were about to 9,000.
He said that putting the latter into the NPA's pensioners' list would be burdensome to the authority.
The source added that the NPA currently had a workforce of more than 4,000.

FOI: Soyinka Seeks Probe Of Yar’Adua’s Death

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka on Thursday asked President Goodluck Jonathan to get cracking with the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act by ordering investigation into the death of his predecessor, Umaru Yar’Adua, whose demise on May 5 last year touched off controversy.

Soyinka said at the annual general meeting of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) in Lagos that Nigerians deserve to know those who concealed the true state of health of Yar’Adua from November 22, 2009 until his death.

To him, the point of the FoI Act is to bring to public knowledge incidents that portray the country in bad light, such as the concealment of the health condition of Yar’Adua.

He challenged Jonathan to unravel the circumstances of Yar’Adua’s medical treatment in Suadi Arabia, and his eventual demise, both of which are still shrouded in secrecy.

Soyinka acknowledged that Jonathan has set up commission of enquiry into the issue, “But I am challenging him to use the FoI Act to investigate those involved in the concealment,  how was this possible, what documents were involved, was any member of the Senate involved, were there public officers involved, whose signature appears on that document, who are the members of security involved  physically?

“That episode is over but knowledge is unending  and so I am challenging the government of Jonathan and the public to put this Freedom of Information Act to the test with  the melodramatic incident that happened in this country for more than one year.

“It is a once in a life time incident, and you can say that is the dramatist in me looking for materials, but as a citizen I have a right to know and I am compelling Jonathan to proceed with this Act by setting up the proceedings and panel that will find out what happened to (Yar’Adua) within this period."

Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos) and Babangida Aliyu (Niger), who were also at the event, maintained that governance is a matter of trust, and the era of concealing information from the public by those elected to govern is over.

They said during a session chaired by former NPAN President Ismaila Funtua that the public has the right to have access to whatever information it needs, and disclosed that plans are afoot in their states to enlighten their staff on the essence of the FoI Act.

Fashola, however, maintained the same position as federal Attorney General and Justice Minister, Mohammed Adoke, that there is no need for the domestication of the Act as canvassed by some states.

He reiterated that it is a federal legislation, and urged the executive to understand that the motive of the legislation is to liberate the country from the clogs in its wheel of progress. 

Canadian Federal Information Commissioner,  Susan Leagault, who delivered a lecture, charged the media and civil society to mount continuous pressure on the government to implement the FoI Act, and urged Nigeria to be prepared to fund its effective implementation.

House of Reps backs Sanusi on Islamic banking

House of Representatives members, with grumbling and applause, on Thursday backed Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Lamido Sanusi,  on his plan to introduce Islamic banking and limit cash withdrawal from commercial banks daily.

By  9 a.m., protesters bussed in by Youth United for Nigeria (YUN) had gathered at the gate of the National Assembly (NASS), chanting anti-Sanusi songs, and hoisting placards asking the legislature to block Islamic banking.

Some of the placards read: “We say no to Islamisation of our financial system,” “Nigerians shine your eyes. This is jihad,” “Please, stop Sanusi now, before he breaks Nigeria.”

Sanusi’s arrival at about 11 a.m. threw the protesters into a frenzy and they increased the decibel of their abusive songs.

The atmosphere inside the Chamber was calmer, even as the body language of agitated members showed they were poised for a showdown with Sanusi.

The man told the lawmakers that the new banking policy will reduce industry cost-to-serve by 30 per cent and help tackle money laundering and terrorism, eliminate subsidy by 90 per cent, lower lending rates, and improve financial infrastructure.

He  said individuals are not restricted to withdrawing N150,000 daily and corporate organisations to N1 million from banks, it only stipulates that withdrawal above the limits will attract a surcharge from June 2012.

This is  to reduce the high cost of cash transaction, which hit N2 trillion in 2010. Direct cost of cash is projected  at N200 billion by 2012.

From the total of N114.5 billion direct cost incurred  in the financial system in 2009, N27.3 billion (24 per cent) was spent on cash in transit, N69.1 billion (67 per cent) on cash processing, and N18.1 billion (nine per cent), excluding the cost of infrastructure and employees’ cost attributable to cash logistics by the CBN and the 24 commercial banks.

Sanusi said the Bankers Committee will deploy  Point of Sale  (POS) terminals to address infrastructure challenges.

He disclosed that “Agreement has been reached with the telecommunication networks to provide dedicated channels for POS transaction data; non-acceptance of cards over POS due to interoperability impediments by service providers has been out-ruled with strict compliance.”

There are plans to roll out 100,000 POS by June 2012 and 375,000 by December 2015.

He confirmed that approval has been given in principle to 16 mobile payment service providers which have piloted the service for three months, the final evaluation is going on, and eventual licensing and targets will be closely monitored.

Section 33 and 47 of the CBN Act empowers it to issue guidelines to any person and retail cash collection and lodgement on any person or institution under its supervision, promote and facilitate the development of efficient and effective systems for the settlement of transactions.

Sanusi disclosed that former CBN Governor Chukwuma Soludo had in 2008 given approval for Nigeria’s full membership of the Islamic banking council.

He said those against Islamic banking system are only crying wolf because it is operated  in over 435 institutions worldwide, including the United States, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Bahrain, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, and The Gambia.

The global assets of Islamic financial institutions amount to $1 trillion, with membership in African Central Banks in Nigeria, Zambia, Mauritius, and international organisations such as World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Development Bank (ADB), and Islamic Development Bank (IDB).

After speaking for about an hour, the majority of lawmakers expressed satisfaction with Sanusi’s presentation  and gave him a rousing applause.

However, some expressed concern over Islamic banking and the cash withdrawal policy, and blamed Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, who presided over plenary on Thursday, for denying them the opportunity to ask Sanusi questions on grey areas.

Ihedioha had told his colleagues that there would be no questions since the session was meant to educate them. 

He also cowed those yearning to bombard Sanusi with questions on the grounds that House principal officers were in a hurry to attend the burial ceremony of Aliyu  Dogondaji, NASS Commission Board Chairman, who died earlier in the day. 

Those dissatisfied with Sanusi’s presentation insisted that a new date be fixed for him to be questioned on Islamic banking.