By Genevieve Aningo

ABUJA—The Federal Government has been urged to release the probe report on suspended Director-General, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, PTAD, Mrs. Nellie Mayshak.

Citizens Action for Good Governance and Transparency, CAGT, which made the call, said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration at this critical time needs highly sound technocrats such as Mrs. Mayshak to clean the stable in the pensions system.

National Coordinator, CAGT, Mr Adeleke Oguntola in a statement, yesterday, said that the Buhari government rode to power on the ‘Change Mantra’ and that Nigerians and the international community expect it to do things different from the past regimes where committees were set up and no one gets to hear about its findings.

Oguntola decried the continuous refusal of the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun to make public the outcome of the committee set up seven months ago to probe the suspended DG of PTAD over alleged mismanagement of funds.

According to him, the suspension which was a normal civil service procedure was to pave way for an unimpeded investigation but where such investigation is treated in secrecy cannot be accepted because the public needs to know the findings of the committee.

The group recalled that while the suspended DG served as PTAD boss, pensioners eulogised her policies, and wrote several recommendation letters to laud her efforts in putting an end to their gory tales.

It said, “Mrs Mayshack digitised the old pensions scheme for effective service delivery to ensure seamless payment of pensioners and brought transparency into the system.

“The ministry had assured pensioners that the suspension will not affect pension payment and services, and promised to make public the findings of the investigative panel on the issues leading to the suspension. But till this moment, nothing has been heard from the ministry in that regard and pensioners are the ones paying the price. This is totally unacceptable.

“PTAD was established in August 2013 to oversee the management of pensions under the defined benefit scheme for pensioners not transiting to the defined contributory scheme and available facts showed that Mrs Mayshak was doing creditably well in transforming the system and getting rid of ghost pensioners from the pay roll. I think she should be commended and not vilified for taken such a bold step.”