The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has dismissed allegations of misappropriating N32 billion in pension and gratuity funds against former Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel, stating that the alleged fraud occurred in 2013, two years before he assumed office.
In a statement released to the Nigerian Tribune on Monday, the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the NLC described the accusations by journalist Fejiro Oliver as false and misleading.
The union warned against what it called a “malicious and mischievous media trial” of the former governor.
The statement, signed by NLC State Chairperson Comrade (Elder) Sunny James, clarified that during his tenure, which began in 2015, Emmanuel implemented measures to ensure smooth pension payments. These included the automatic migration of retirees from the salary platform to the pension platform in 2016 and introducing a biometric verification system to determine the state’s true pension liabilities, which his successor is now addressing.
Addressing the N32 billion fraud claim, the NLC noted that the issue dates back to the administration of Governor Victor Attah, who introduced a 7.5% compulsory pension contribution from both the government and workers.
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Initially, the funds were held at Union Bank Plc. However, during Governor Godswill Akpabio’s tenure, the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly questioned the deductions due to a lack of legal backing and advised that the contributions be refunded.
In 2013, Akpabio ordered the transfer of the funds from Union Bank to Skye Bank Plc for disbursement. The state government received its share of the contributions, while a committee led by then-Head of Civil Service Cecilia Udoessien was tasked with ensuring workers received their 7.5% refunds. However, some teachers and other workers were excluded from the exercise.
The NLC explained that upon assuming office, Udom Emmanuel facilitated refunds for some of the affected workers, although not all were covered.
“The good news today is that His Excellency, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, has agreed with the Organised Labour to release all outstanding balances of the 7.5% refunds to the affected workers,” James stated.
The NLC urged the public to disregard Oliver’s allegations, emphasizing that they are baseless and do not reflect the true facts regarding Akwa Ibom’s pension and gratuity funds.
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