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From Jonas Ike, Abuja
…As Reps Grill Head of Contributory Scheme.
For the third time, the management team of National Pensions Commission PENCOM has failed to tender all the requested documents by the House or Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing alleged infractions into the activities of the agency.
At the resumed investigative hearing of the Johnson Agbonayinma led Ad-hoc Committee probing the alleged infractions of PENCOM on Tuesday, the head of Contributions and Bond Management of the agency Mr. Lohini Lana couldn’t tender any of the documents requested by the committee .
The main issue centred on the alleged disbursement of N33 billion from the CBN to the retirement savings account of public servants paid into private account operated by Pension Fund Administrators PFAs being supervised by the agency.
Of the lawmakers Hon.Iboro Ekanem (Cross-River, PDP) who frowned at the way the PENCOM team had failed repeatedly to provide the documents said that he is not satisfied with what the agency has said so far on the matter.
Another Committee member Hon. Benjamin Wayo (Benue, APC) said that the excuse given by PENCOM is not acceptable. He said: “You can’t tell us that there is no available documents”.
Similarly, Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee Hon. Johnson Agbonayinma said that the the PENCOM team is just trying to twist English language at the ongoing investigative hearing.
He noted that the Acting Director-General of the agency Mrs Aisha Dahiru had previously said that the agency is operating five retirement savings account with the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN different from the three accounted that were said to be operated by the PENCOM team.
He alongside other lawmakers noted that the documents requested by the Committee includes minutes of board meetings, travel documents, schedule of payment to the Communications department of the agency as well as those of the Acting Director-General was not provided by the PENCOM team.
The Committee helmsman later asked that the requested documents be provided at the next adjourned date of Thursday April 19, 2019 and that the PENCOM team should appear unfailingly with these documents.