By JOSEPH INOKOTONG, Abuja

Hard times await workers on the payroll of the five South-East states of Nigeria upon retirement from service, as the government’s have failed completely to comply with or implement fully the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) as at March 2021. Of the five states in question, only Anambra government has recorded marked improvement.

What all the states in the zone share in common is the enactment of law establishing their various CPS.

Information gleaned from the National Pension Commission (Pencom) show that Abia State enacted Law on the CPS in 2017; Ebonyi enacted the Law on CPS in 2017 (amended the Law and forwarded to the Commission and the Commission communicated its observations on the Law to the State); Enugu enacted Law on CPS in 2014, and Imo state enacted its law on CPS in 2008.

Anambra State, which can aptly be described as the brightest star in the zone in relation to its performance, did not only enact law on CPS in 2013 (amended some sections of the Law in 2014), but went steps further to register its employees with PFAs and remitted 10 per cent employer & 5 per cent employee contributions to PenCom.

In addition, it “remitted employer pension contributions up to December 2017 and remitted employee pension contribution up to August 2020 for State employees; remitted employee and employer pension contributions up to August 2018 for Local Government employees”.

The State also “opened a Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund Account with a PFA, for the Local Government employees in line with the state’s Law”.

However, Anambra has the record of “Irregular funding of Accrued Pension Rights for Local Government employees”, and it’s “yet to conduct an actuarial valuation”.

According to PenCom’s record, Anambra State has “yet to establish Pension Bureau (implementation being driven by Office of the Head of Service & Joint Account Allocation Committee); It is also yet to open Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund Account for its employees and also yet to commence funding of the Accrued Pension Rights for State Employees. The state has “yet to institute a Group Life Insurance Policy”.

Aside enacting Law on the CPS in 2017, Abia State has “yet to establish Pension Bureau and is yet to register the state employees with PFAs. It has also not commence remittance of pension contributions; and is yet to conduct an actuarial valuation while its Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund Account is yet to be opened; yet to commence funding of the Accrued Pension Rights, and “yet to institute a Group Life Insurance Policy”. (Daily SUN)

· File: A crowd of pensioners at Anambra state Government House

Why parents, guardians of cultist students don’t want death investigated — CP

By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Mr Chris Owolabi, on Wednesday said that 90 percent of cult related deaths in Nigeria have no documentation.

He observed that most parents and guardians of students involved in cult practices and who get killed in the process never want such cases investigated due to their nature and the accompanying shame.

Owolabi spoke during a Peace/Security Summit organised by the National Association of Nigeria Student (NANS) in collaboration with the Anambra State Police Command at the University Auditorium, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

He warned youths, especially students, to desist from any form of evil practices that could compromise their bright future,

The Summit with the theme, “Importance of Safe Society and The Role of Nigerian Students, Youths in the Security of Our Campuses”, was aimed at sensitising students on the need for proper security in their neighbourhood.

The CP, represented by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations in the state, ACP Emmanuel Ogbuanya, said: “Cultism has been the mother of most crimes committed by the youths.

“The high rate of illegal drug consumption has landed most youths in trouble and early grave. I advise you to quit the act. Most cultists were groomed in the institutions of learning.”

While advising parents to take the issue of cultism seriously, he urged parents to inculcate good moral values in their children as well as monitor their movements.

The CP urged students across institutions of higher learning in the country to be brave and release timely information to security forces in their various states.

Earlier in his welcome speech, the convener and NANS Senate President, Comrade Chuks Innocent Okafor, said the event was occasioned by the state of insecurity currently witnessed in the county.

Okafor added that security in the country had deteriorated terribly, hence the need for youths to step up for a solution.

He blamed youth increased involvement in crime on consumption of hard drugs and urged them to desist from such or risk being destroyed by the act.

Okafor regretted the current security situation in the country especially in the South-East region, even as he urged government to stop the spate of killings and raping of farmers by Fulani militia group.

He called on leaders to organise a national summit where problems of the country would be discussed and addressed.

In his remark, the host and Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Professor Charles Esimone, stressed that a lot of lives and future had been truncated as a result of the current wave of insecurity in the country.

Esimone, represented by the Dean of Student Affairs, Professor Chinonso Achebe, added: “The time has come for us to advise ourselves and turn from hearers of words to doers of good things.

“I advise the students to be security-conscious and enjoin them to take the security of their lives and their environment serious. Heed advice from Police in your daily living.”

Speaking on the theme of the summit, Comrade Obiora Agbasimelo enjoined the youths to imbibe the spirit of unity, tolerance and accept one another irrespective of social and ethnic background.

He called on youths to obtain and play an active role in the coming Anambra State governorship election and shun being used as tools in the hands of politicians to execute heinous crimes.

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