The Ondo State Government has changed Salary and Pension Remittance Officers in its service to always eschew errors that could be detrimental to beneficiaries of the Contributory Pension scheme in the state.
The state Head of Service, Pastor Kayode Ogundele, FCIPM gave the charge at a sensitisation meeting with the officers held in Akure, the state capital.
The Head of Service, who described the contributory pension as a relief from the old pension scheme whereby beneficiaries struggled to get their retirement benefits, said any error on the part of the Salary/Pension officers could impede the smooth running of the new scheme.
He decried a situation where officers would inherit and continue with errors of their predecessors in the areas of deduction and remittance without making efforts to correct them and thereby recording under deduction.
While thanking Gov. Akeredolu for his commitment to the welfare of the retirees and particularly on his recent approval of the consequential adjustment in their benefits, Ogundele called on the officers not to engage in any activity that could jeopardise the efforts of the government.
Also speaking at the event, the state commissioner for Finance, Mr Wale Akinterinwa said inaccurate computation by Remittance Officers would not guarantee the expected success of the pension process and could lead to short-changing beneficiaries.
Earlier in his address, the Permanent Secretary and Director General of the state Pension Commission, Mr Gbenga Akingbasote, noted that the growing concerns to improve retirement benefits globally necessitated Ondo State keying to the Contributory Pension Scheme from 2014.
He however pointed out the need for desk officers to evolve new initiatives that would guarantee error-free processes in the deduction and remittance of contributions by the contributors
‘The State Government enacted the Pension Reform Lawthe in year 2014 for Public Servants in the State. The Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), is an arrangement whereby both the employer and employee make monthly contributions into the Retirement Savings Account (RSA) of the employee towards his or her Pension at Retirement.’ He said.
‘It dawned on everybody throughout the world that employers alone, governments inclusive, cannot bear the payment of retirement benefits. There had been accumulated pensions and gratuities, causing pain and disappointment for retirees and hopelessness for those about to retire.’ He added.
According to him, the need to address some noticeable challenges in the contributions informed the organisation of the sensitisation programme.
Sina Adeyeye,
Office of the HoS
