PUBLIC COMPLAINTS COMMISSION (PCC) AND PENSION ADMINISTRATION IN NIGERIA
Sppech By Hon. Chief Commissioner, Barr Chille Igbawua
• The Public Complaints Commission is vested with wide powers to inquire into complaints by members of the public concerning the administrative actions of any public authority and companies or their officials, and other matters ancillary thereto.
• Among the various types of complaints the Commission handles delay and non-payment of pensions and gratuities in both the public and private sectors.
• The Commission has for a long time been in collaboration with PTAD and we have involved in most its activities.
• Despite the various reforms in the pension sector in recent past, the Commission is still besieged by a deluge of complaints of delay, stoppage and non-payment of pensions.
• Between 2016 and 2017 the Commission has received and investigated a total of two thousand, three hundred and forty nine (2349) complaints.
• From the experience of the Commission, the old pension system was characterized with the following problems; inadequate funding, political control of the public sector pension, pension payment default by state governments, flaws in pension record and disbursement and tardiness in pension disbursement. Unfortunately, some of these problems still persist.
• This goes to show that there is still much to be done to reform the pension sector.
• For this reason, the Commission is proposing to embark on a Systemic Investigation /Review of the Pension Sector with particular reference to the Direct Benefit Scheme (DBS). This would involve the Commission doing an in depth research and holding an open forum with all stakeholders in the Pension Sector.
