By Haruna Salami
Youth under the aegis of Nigerian Youth for Change has roundly condemned the death of one of their own, Mustapha Ajiya
who they claim died as a result of the actions of the Acting Director General of the National Pension Commission, PENCOM, Mrs. Aisha Dahiru-Umar.
Addressing the press in Abuja Wednesday, president of the Youth group, Comrade Okafor Azubuike in a speech titled “Mustapha Ajiya: poor Nigerians’ lives matter”, said “our brother, Mustapha from Zamfara state” was among 43 young Nigerians lawfully employed by PENCOM based on the approval of the last executive management committee of the organization. Mustapha, according to group successfully completed the aptitude test in December 2016/January 2017 and equally passed the various interviews after which he was offered employment in March, 2017 and directed to assume duty on May 2, 2017.
“Mustapha accepted the offer and resigned his previous little employment as required by law, preparatory to resuming at PENCOM”. Unfortunately, the executive management committee of PENCOM was removed in April 2017. Mrs. Aisha Dahiru-Umar, after receiving the handover note as the most senior staff, indefinitely suspended their already legally concluded employment by mere phone calls because she wanted to do illegal employment”.
The new employees’ petition to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF Boss Mustapha to seek his fatherly intervention after all oral and several written entreaties to the Acting DG fell on deaf ears didn’t achieve the desired result either.
The Youth group allegedly said “the truth is that Aisha Dahiru-Umar wants to do business with the employment of young Nigerians as she is collecting N2 million from every candidate for a slot. She wants to sacrifice their employments for money in first-ever employment scandal in PENCOM”. They also accuse Aisha of using her position as DG PENCOM to secure employment for her son in Premium Pension, a Pension Fund Administrator, PFA and the children of many PENCOM GMs are also working and earning fat salaries in PFAs under PENCOM’s supervision in clear conflict of interest, while they would not allow children of the poor to also work and earn a living.
“It was under this questionable circumstance that Mustapha Ajiya died due to lack of money to attend to his health and carter for his family”. Therefore the youth totally condemned the “wickedness and injustice” meted to Malam Mustapha Ajiya and others and believes that this has continued despite their petitions to the presidency because PENCOM’s Acting DG, Mrs. Aisha Dahiru-Umar is misleading the presidency on the matter adding that “this can never happen to the children of ministers, governors and members of the National Assembly.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari a loving father whom Mustapha supported so much, to order the immediate resumption of duty by the remaining PENCOM recruits to save other lives”.
They called on the federal government to institute a judicial commission of enquiry comprising National Human Rights Commission, Labour and civil society to investigate the circumstances that led to Mustapha’s death and bring the culprits to book. In addition, the group called on the federal government to order the refund of all the 300% “exit allowance” so far paid by Aisha Dahir-Umar to herslf and other senior staff to the public treasury. The salaries and allowances earned by those occupying additional and illegally created 7 GM positions in the Commission should also be returned to the public treasury, the group sad.