By Favour Nnabugwu

THE Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has denied allegations of fraud and inefficiency levelled against its executive members by some of its members.

The National President, Dr. Abel Afolayan, said he was not part of the pension fraud syndicate, allegedly linked to the former Chairman, Pension Task Force, Abdul-Rasheed Maina, neither was any of his current executive members involved.

Maina

He was speaking against the backdrop of roles allegedly played by some executive members of the Union in the Maina saga.

However, Afolayan admitted that two former executive members have been implicated in the scandal.

He stated: “What the Attorney General said about NUP being part of pension fraud syndicate does not concern us. It concerns our predecessors. The aspect that involves the NUP President has been in court.

“I was part of the former executive as the 2nd National President and so I know about the case. I assumed office as National President in August 2013 after the alleged fraud which occurred between 2012 and 2013.

“But the matter has been in court for the past four years. The leadership of the NUP has also for the past four    years been going to court”, he added.

Afolayan’s reaction was as a result of the plan by  pensioners from Federal Government parastatals   to break away from the NUP over the alleged connivance by some national leaders of the Union with the syndicate involved in the Maina saga directed at stealing pension funds.