Pensioners Cry Out to Buhari Over Unpaid Pension Arrears

Some retirees under the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) have spoken against the loss of more than 100 pensioners recently, mainly due to the alleged failure of the Managing Director of FMBN, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa to pay their pension arrears.

The pensioners also accused the bank’s MD of deliberately failing to obey a court judgement, and a directive from the Presidency, Federal Ministry of Works & Housing and the Federal Ministry of Finance instructing him to start paying the owed pensions arrears to the retirees.

Comrade Ladipo Ani, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria chapter, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to help them in a press statement. The statement refers to Dangiwa as an “emperor”, and accuses the Katsina native of using the President’s name to hold them captive.

Ladipo went on to cite the different directives addressed to FMBN and Dangiwa. He first mentioned a letter dated June 7, 2022 where the Minister of Finance wrote to the Minister of Works and Housing that the FMBN should liquidate all assets belonging to the inoperative Federal Mortgage Finance Limited (FMFL). The letter then advised that the judgement debt to the tune of about N4.7 billion should be paid as the accumulated terminal benefit settlement, including the 10 years outstanding pension to pensioners.

The FMBN was urged to enlist pensioners and immediately begin payment of their monthly pension, in agreement with the judgement sum of N41 million per month.

In another letter dated August 2, 2021 the Minister of Works and Housing directly instructed the Managing Director of FMBN that the bank should budget for their liability and settle agreeable procedures with the affected pensioners for the payment of their outstanding benefits.

In a third letter dated October 26, 2021, Dangiwa was reprimanded for his non-compliance to ministerial directive that he should explore all possible ways to pay the accumulated pension benefits.

Ladipo stated that in spite of these directives, the MD who pleaded for a little time to settle things with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has refused to succumb to requests. He also said that the pensioners’ letter of protest caused the MD to inform security agencies that they were threatening his life and planning to disrupt the activities of the FMBN.

This has caused the bank’s premises to be under surveillance and several pensioners to be closely watched by the security agencies.