By Emma Ovuakporie
ABUJA—Director of Customs, Immigration, Prisons Pensions Office, CIPPO, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, yesterday, said three committees had been set up to address the issue of surcharged pensions for paramilitary retirees since 1976.

Maina, who disclosed this during an interactive session with newsmen, said it became necessary to go back into the archives based on the plethora of petitions received from retired paramilitary officers that were retired since 1976, claiming that they were surcharged in the various harmonized pensions.

He, however, said “after the committees must have concluded their findings, those that were surcharged will be paid the difference, but those that were over paid will get monies deducted from their subsequent payments.”

Maina explained that “we are going to pick every individual file,  assess all payments till date and ascertain whether they were surcharged or not, but if it is true they will get every dime refunded.”

The CIPPO helmsman said his office started the payment of the harmonized 6 percent and 15 percent pensions on October 5, adding “we are proud to say that we have paid all our pensioners except those who did not show up during our verification exercise.”

He said further:  “We  are going to establish laiason offices in designated centres nation wide where pensioners can easily go to for verification saving them the agony of traveling to Abuja as some of these men and women are old while some are even disabled.

“For the aged and disabled our office is trying everything within our reach to design a mechanism that could capture them biometrically once their palms touches the machine it will signify us here that they are still alive.”

On the collection of gratuities for deceased paramilitary officers, Maina advised:   “let the next-of- kin, come to us with all the relevant papers and I assure them that within 24 hours, their papers will be in our system and payment will be effected.”

Maina praised the out-going Head of Civil Service of the Federation, HOCSF, Mr Stephen Oronsaye, as the brain and success of all the payments.

“Even my grand father who never earned a pension some 30 years ago is now enjoying his pensions because the HOS ensured that all bona fide pensioners earn their dues,” he added.