The Federal Government on Wednesday pleaded with pensioners to be patient following the delay in the payment of pension and death benefits to beneficiaries.

Mrs Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, made the plea in Abuja at the National Executive Council Meeting of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners.

“As a critical stakeholder in the pension administration in Nigeria, the Head of Civil Service is well- informed of some of the challenges faced by pensioners.

“This is either as beneficiaries under the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS) or the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS); worthy to mention is the legion of complaints and challenges faced by pensioners under the DBS.

“Similarly, under the CPS, what has recently been on the front burner is the non- payment of pension to officers who retired from 2015 arising from the delayed funding of their accrued rights.

“It is imperative to state that President Buhari, through the instrumentality of relevant government agencies saddled with responsibility of pension administration, is working hard to evolve more ingenious solution to address the challenges, ‘’she said.

Oyo-Ita noted that the OHCSF had earlier in the year inaugurated a tripartite standing committee on pension matters to handle flurry of inquiries received on daily basis in the OHCSF.

She said that the committee, which  membership was drawn from the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and Pension Transition Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), met monthly to review complaints.

“This arrangement is to compliment institutional complaints resolution mechanisms existing in both the PenCom and PTAD to ensure a more effective collaboration and service delivery.

“On the part of pensioners, I acknowledge your perseverance and call for patience and collaboration on efforts of government to address the challenges faced by the country’s pensioners,’’she added.

Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, said that the meeting was timely.

Tinubu said there was need to find a solution to the predicament of the Nigerian pensioners.

She regretted that lot of pensioners had died, while some were in sorry state due to irregular pensions.

“We are going to synergise with relevant stakeholders to propel the government to speed payments of pensions of both the state and f10ederal retirees.” she said.