Piqued by fresh allegations of missing N24 billion police pension fund, a civil society group, Public Service Accountability Initiative has canvassed a thorough forensic audit of the recovered pension fund.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the group said that fresh disclosure of alleged missing billions of pension fund was troubling, hence the need for the audit.
The group’s National Coordinator, said John Idagu, it was sad that the government has turned a blind eye to the massive looting of recovered pension fund, while those who were responsible for recovering the massive fund and uncovering the rot in police pension and Office of Head of Service of the Federation have become victims.
He said, “We are calling on the federal government to order a forensic audit of the recovered N228billion by the Abdulrasheed Maina’s Pension Reform Task Team.
“We recall that in 2013, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told the Senate Committee on Establishment and Pension that N74billion of the N228 billion was injected into the 2012 budget.
“Only a few days back, N24billion was said to have been spent without any appropriation to pay arrears of pension.
“We are worried of how this fund is being spent and where it is lodged. We urge the National Assembly to dig deeper into this matter. The National Assembly should go a step further to invite Maina to speak on this pension matter.
“We find it objectionable and ungodly for the president to list the PRTT’s achievements in his midterm report on pension while the man and task team responsible for the milestones are subjects of harassment and intimidation by powerful forces”.
