11,145 NITEL/MTel pensioners receive N12.4bn arrears

IN furtherance of its efforts to offset the outstanding pension arrears owed to pensioners of some defunct institutions of the Federal Government, the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), has said it paid a total of N12,393,567,595.80, representing 15-months settlement of inherited unfunded pension liabilities to 11,145 NITEL/MTel pensioners.

The Directorate’s Executive Secretary, Dr Chioma Ejikeme, in statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by Mr Olugbenga Ajayi, PTAD’s Head, Corporate Communications, explained that the 15 months payment was part of the outstanding 63 months of inherited unfunded pension liabilities to NITEL/MTel pensioners, leaving a balance of 48 months yet to be settled.

PTAD further explained that in 2018 and after 12 years of uncertainty post privatisation, PTAD onboarded ex-workers of NITEL/MTel to the monthly pension payroll in fulfillment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to ensuring that all eligible pensioners got their entitlements. At the onset, the inherited unfunded pension liability for NITEL/MTEL stood at 84-months.

“So far, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, through PTAD, has cleared 36 months out of the inherited arrears as follows one month in 2019; six months in 2020; 14 months in 2021 and 15 months in 2022,” the agency said.

Furthermore, Dr Ejikeme assured that PTAD’s track records in offsetting owed pensions would be demonstrated in clearing the backlog of NITEL/MTel inherited pension liabilities subject to available funds.

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