A Former Chief of Defence Staff, General TY Danjuma (Rtd) has shared a personal experience of how his friend who retired as a permanent secretary didn’t receive his pension till he died.
He stated that when he investigated the matter, he discovered that corruption was deeply ingrained in the management of pension payments in the Civil service. He highlighted that even as the Minister of Defence, he couldn’t fix the corruption issues in the public service pension management. He expressed his gratitude to the retired service chiefs for ensuring timely pension payments for retirees in the Nigerian Armed Force.
He said in a live coverage with Channels TV from 7:25, ”I want to use this opportunity to thank all the retired service chiefs that came after me. Because one good thing you have all done for us which I know you’ll are also benefitting from is that I receive my pension regularly on time. If you know how much Civil servants struggle to get their pensions paid, you will understand what I’m talking about.
A good friend of mine who was a PS for many years didn’t get his pension till he died. When I was made the Minister of Defence, he drew my attention to that problem. I went into it and I discovered that the corruption governing the management for the payment of pensions and gratuities in the Public service is something that even I as a minister could not fix. I reported the matter to the then President and he waded into it and it was after that the foundation was laid for us the Armed forces to manage the payment of our own pensions and gratuities.”