BY OKEY NDIRIBE
ABUJA-The Federal Government has called on Pension Fund Administrators, PFAs, to fast-track the payment of benefits to the next of kin to deceased worker especially federal civil servant to alleviate the sufferings of the deceased family.

This came as the Government said it had begun the installation of an electronic monitoring device to facilitate settlement of death benefit claims of deceased federal civil servants in the country.

This was disclosed in Abuja by the Head of service of the Federation, Alhaji Isa Bello Sali, while delivering a speech at the presentation of insurance death benefit cheques to Pension Fund Administrators, PFAs,   to ensure payments to the next of kin of the deceased employees.

He stated that payment of the death benefits to relatives of the deceased federal employees was in compliance with the provisions of Section 9 (3) of the Pension Reform Act, 2004 which states that “every employer with not less than five employees must insure the lives of the employees to a minimum of three times their total annual emolument and that in the event of death of any of such employees, the next kin is paid 300 percent of officer’s annual emolument.”

The HOS recalled that the implementation of the scheme was flagged off for Federal Government employees in 2008 with the payment of N4 billion to the appointed consortium of 24 Insurance companies for provision of insurance cover for that year, adding a total of 365 death claims amounting to N904,512,207.45 were settled by 2009.

He expressed regret that the scheme had faced some hitches including the refusal of the appointed insurance companies to settle all death claims submitted to them in 2010 under the 2008 cover as they were said to be time-barred.

According to him, through dialogue and understanding on the part of the insurance companies, an additional 189 death claims amounting to N506, 241,609.85 were paid on Tuesday, March 20, 2012.

The HOS urged the Pension Commission and Pension Fund Administrators to consider how best they could fast-track the payment of the benefits that were meant to alleviate the sufferings of the families of federal civil servants who lost their lives while serving the nation.