Imo govt releases names of eight beneficiaries of N330m pension scam

The Imo State government on Saturday released its findings on the pension fraud in the state.

The state government had in April set up a panel to investigate the alleged fraud in the pension system including the payment of N330 million to eight persons in the state.

The state governor, Hope Uzodinma spoke on the findings during a meeting with the leadership of the state chapters of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) held at the Government House in Owerri.

Uzodinma said the state government discovered that over 1,000 persons who retired from the state civil service were still receiving pensions more than 44 years after they left the service.

He also listed the eight beneficiaries of the payment scam as follows:

Ajokubi H. A. (N65, 685, 491. 00), Njoku Damian (N 5,042,439.58), Obasi Canice (N 3, 460, 366.64), Anyanwu F. N. (N 150, 336. 00), Emenalo Theresa (N 3,058, 592.00), John Sunday (N 2,320624. 00), Ajaegbo E. O. (N2, 298,910.34) and Ekedere Eunice (N 32,490, 016. 00).

He said: “The highlight of the fraud was that eight persons, who the governor named, were earning N330m annually as a pension, one of them late.

“While a retired judge, was earning N300,000 monthly above what was due to him as pension and a late SSG to the government was still earning pension, many years after his death.

“So many irregularities had marred the pension system forcing us to investigate further into the payroll of retired workers where it was discovered that over 1,000 pensioners who retired in 1976 were still receiving a pension, wondering how many people aged 104 were still alive.

“Overinflated pensions were paid to numerous pensioners which on the investigation was not consistent with their last payslips or basic salaries as stipulated by the pensions act.”