TheCable

Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo, says the names of those earning more than N330 million annually as pension will be published soon. 

While speaking at a meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) in Owerri, the state capital, he said some pensioners were receiving monies above their retirement salaries while others get outrageous amount that are unaccounted for.

The governor said he had set up the process of integrating Imo pensioners into the National Contributory Pensions Scheme. 

“I’ll soon publish names of those who earn above N330m per annum as pension for Imo people to know,” he said. 

“Government will no more make use of microfinance banks for payments of salaries and pensions because they are no clearing houses for BVN holders so that pensioners can be paid directly.

“Government has decided to automate all payments to enable it to migrate to the contributory pension’s scheme.”

With this in place, he said nobody would be able to defraud the government any longer after the biometric verification. 

Uzodimma said that only primary and secondary school teachers, who have been verified and confirmed to be employees of government, will receive their salaries. 

He advised those “playing politics” with pensions and salaries to desist from doing so as his administration is set to going after such people. 

In May, the governor had scrapped payment of pensions to former governors, deputy governors, speakers and deputy speakers of the state.