National Pension Commission, PENCOM has denied any wrong doing in the cancellation of fresh employment
by the present management of the organisation.
Reacting to allegation of illegal cancelation of appointments of new employees of the organisation by the Acting Director General, Mrs.Aisha Dahiru-Umar, head corporate communications department of PENCOM, Mr.Peter Aghahowa said “the recruitment of the 42 new employees even predated the present acting Director General and the excercise was suspended by the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character”.
On increasing the number of General Managers from 10 to 17 when the organisation has no board to approve such decision Aghahowa said it was not a new recruitment, but career progression of some staff of the commission. “Promotion is a normal course of any growing concern. This organisation started in 2005 when the Pension Reform Act was promulgated. People hav been in the system and everybody has a career path; people will be promoted when they are due”.
Speaking on the allegation that the Acting DG increased her exit allowance by 300%, Aghahowa vehemently denied any such thing, saying ” there is nothing like that. It is frivolous allegation. If I’m leaving the system today, there is laid down procedure that we follow, nothing like increasing it”.
The commission while sympathizing with the family and friends of Mustapha Ajiya, one of the newly recruited staff whose employment has been put on hold and whose death sparked off protests by youths in Abuja recently with allegations of wrong doings by the commission, Aghahowa said the fact must be presented. “Truly there are irregularities which led to the suspension. Now we are going further to tell you that the directive came from House Committee on Federal Character”.
For the commission to be forcoming with such detail speaks volume about their being objective, according Aghahowa. He added that in the absence of a board the commission reports to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
Efforts of Sharpedgenews to confirm from the House Committee on Federal Character did not yield fruit as the National Assembly is on recess. On visit to the office of clerk of the committee in the House of Representatives, the clerk Mr. Kaigama was not in the office.