Opinion
By Ogu Bundu Nwadike
AT the time the current governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, assumed office on May 29, 2019, the pension arrears profile in Imo State was 77 months! The actual pension arrears was put at about N70 billion.
That pension debt was still huge despite about N40 billion bailout funds facility, which the Federal Government doled out to Imo State and was received by the immediate past governor. He got the bailout funds, but failed to pay the pensioners!
On assumption of office in Owerri on May 29, 2019, Gov. Ihedioha was ready to fulfill his electioneering campaign promises of paying pensions to the senior citizens of Imo State. But an intelligence report came in to alert that there was an incredible number of ghost pensioners on the payroll in the State.
Hence, the State Executive Council suggested and decided that a fresh verification exercise be conducted to ascertain the veracity or not of the revelation. That brought about the month-long once-and-for-all biometric verification of Imo pensioners by some 1150 well-trained pension verifiers, comprising mainly Imo youths.
At the end, after all said and done, all biometric verification of Imo pensioners came to an end. The Committee assigned the verification task, led by P.G.U Madu, who is the Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) to the Governor of Imo State, submitted its report.
It was discovered that there were big holes in the pension basket, warranting free leakages that saw the Government of Imo State paying N280 million to over 8000 ghost pensioners every month. That was one of the grandmothers of corruption in Imo State that was corruptly sustained by the immediate past governor.
As it would please God Almighty, Gov. Ihedioha heeded the advice of the Imo State Executive Council to conduct the once-and-for-all biometric verification of Imo pensioners. And thereby saved Imo people, a whopping N280 million monthly. That’s how he also ended the reign and regime of corruption in Imo pension system.
Certainly, because everything Imo pension has been automated and digitalized by Gov. Ihedioha. It’s such that Imo pensioners now receive their pensions through the ease of electronic transfer direct into their individual bank accounts. That brought to an end the regime of fake cheques handed Imo senior citizens by the former governor.
Imo people and friends of Imo State seem not to understand the magnitude of stealing that went on in Imo State from the money box of Imo pensions. An illustration may help our understanding:
*The total number of ghost pensioners that were discovered and filtered out was 8549
*The total amount of money saved was N280,982,508.
*The total number of months owed pensioners 77 months by the immediate past ex-governor and 4 months by the current governor.
*Total number of months owed was 81.
– N280,982,508 x 81 months = N22,759,387,148
(Twenty two billion, seven hundred and fifty million, three hundred and eighty thousand, one hundred and forty eight naira)!
That was the total amount of money that the criminals that populated the pensioners payroll with thousands of ghost pensioners would have stolen from Imo State and Imo people within the 81 months owed as at the end of September 2019!
That would have continued for so many months and years until whenever the criminality was discovered and rectified.
To the glory of God, however, Gov. Ihedioha rose to the challenge and saved Imo State and Imo people such incredible amount of money; (Twenty two billion, seven hundred and fifty million, three hundred and eighty thousand, one hundred and forty eight naira)!
It will undoubtedly go down into the best chapters of the history of Imo State that in 2019 shortly after Ihedioha became governor, he ended a corrupt regime of pension thieves and saved the State an instant twenty two billion, seven hundred and fifty million, three hundred and eighty thousand, one hundred and forty eight naira!
It’s continually being proved that God’s time for a greater Imo State is now. It’s the finest hour for Imo people to regain the lost glory, joy and happiness, love and peace, unity and progress, growth and development of the beloved Imo State! To God be the glory!
Nwadike is the special assistant to the Imo State governor on research.
– Oct 24, 2019 @ 17:45 GMT |
Tags: How Ihedioha ended corruption in Imo pensions system
