Pension Funds Theft: N32bn Police Pension Fund
Offender(s)
Story
The cry of Nigerians pensioners is likely been heard by the "Most High" as cases of pension frauds has been unravelled recently in various sectors of the Nation. This was discovered when a fraud of over N5billion was uncovered in the Pensions Unit of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation by the operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in April 2012.
While the nation was still whirling from this news another scandal broke out. It was reported that there had been massive embezzlement of Police Pensions Funds, with several billions of naira diverted into the private accounts of some government officials. Following these scandals, there was widespread condemnation by the media and general populace about the government's unwillingness to decisively tackle the issue of corruption, which has become a bane to the country's development. The Police Pension Fund theft could be best described as an embarrassment to the National.
The unfolding multi-trillion naira federal pension fraud advertises to the entire world that corruption has overwhelmed the Nigerian state. When the Senate, the upper legislative chamber, throws up its hands and says it has handed over an official it accuses of pilfering public funds "to God", it signposts its utter helplessness over the very important task of tackling corruption in public places.
The former Director of Pension in the Police Affairs Ministry, John Yakhubu Yusufu had who pleaded guilty to the 20-count charge of criminal conversion of N32.5 billion belonging to the Police Pension Fund. EFCC had alleged that the accused persons conspired and sequentially withdrew monies from Police Pension funds in an account domiciled at First Bank of Nigeria and shared it among themselves, adding that the 3rd accused person, Inuwa Wada, collected N18million from Unity Bank Plc, as his reward for retaining the Police Pension Account with the bank.
According to the EFCC, the offence is punishable under section 27 (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment e.t.c) Act Cap E1 2004. Yusufu was hitherto facing trial alongside a Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Atto see wheiku Abubakar Kigo and six others, Esai Dangabar, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula, Sani Habila Zira and Christian Madubuike.
The scale of the fraud in public sector pensions is as massive as the twists in official efforts to impose order are bizarre. Abdulrasheed Maina, Chairman of the Presidential Pension Reform Task Force Team, reckons that about N3.3 trillion has been released by the Federal Government for public sector retirees since 1976 "without accountability". Over the years, not only has the country been treated regularly to the awful spectacle of elderly retirees collapsing and dying in the contrived pensioners' verification queues, mind-boggling revelations of massive, systematic and brazen theft have also been making the headlines, confirming our rating as one of the world's most corrupt nations.
It is still not clear to many citizens of the country why the Justice Abubakar Talba, the Federal High Court, Abuja, sentenced John Yusufu, former director in the Police Pension Office, to two years in prison with an option of N250, 000 fine on each of the three counts. The ruling drew anger from many Nigerians, including legal experts, who believe that granting an option of fine for such a monumental fraud would encourage corruption by public officers.
--On Thu, Oct 8, 2015 at 11:17 AM, Joe Attueyi topcrestt@yahoo.com [NaijaObserver] <NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com> wrote:1) Was N3.5 trn drawn from PENCOM during this period?
Prof AlukoWhen a person of the status of a state governor makes a statement one ought to take it seriously. However if it is founded on so flawed a premise as that excerpted above then one has to worry whether 'everything is alright'.PENCOM is a public institution that REGULATES activities of PRIVATE SECTOR institutions--Pension fund administrators and Pension fund custodians. PENCOM has neither custody nor control over pension fund contributionsIt is NOT possible to withdraw N3.5 trillion from PENCOM---simply because PENCOM does NOT have N3.5 trillion.If you and/or Oshio can show that anybody withdrew N3.5 trillion from PENCOM I'll pay $1,000 to any charity of your choice no questions askedJoeSent from my iPhone
On Oct 8, 2015, at 10:56 AM, Ibimgm via AfricanWorldForum <africanworldforum@googlegroups.com> wrote:Just too much speculation! What actually did happen?GMI.--In a message dated 10/8/2015 4:09:14 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, alukome@gmail.com writes:--
My People:Here is what Oshiomhole is quoted to have said:QUOTEYou challenge Pencom and Ministry of Finance, you will discover that over N3.5tn was drawn by the previous government from pension funds to support recurrent expenditure, not to support infrastructure.UNQUOTEAssuming he was quoted correctly - no embellishment or fabrication - there are two issues here:1. First is the very character of MISAPPROPRIATION. If that is what Oshiomhole is hinting at, then misappropriation/misapplication means not spending a particular money the way it was meant to be spent, sometimes by the person who has custody of the money, who may do it under the influence of another person. I am not sure that is what Oshiomhole is stating here. It is therefore trite to say that something CANNOT happen, when in fact the very POSSIBILITY/REALITY of its happening is the ILLEGALITY being hinted at.2. Secondly, and more importantly, is to ask certain questions:(1) Was N3.5 trn drawn from PENCOM during this period?(2) How much of it was invested in INFRASTRUCTURE?(3) Is there ANY other CAPITAL category OUTSIDE of Infrastructure that PENCOM spent part of the money on?If NONE was invested in Infrastructure or any other Capital Project - as Oshiomhole is likely to be hinting - then the ONLY other category that PENCOM must have spent the money on would be RECURRENT - to pay for(A) its (PENCOM) own workers (salaries + allowances)(B) to pay for its own overhead operations(C) to pay for retirees - its primary aim.I believe that is what Oshimhole is hinting at - that the N3.5 trn was not INVESTED to generate more money - maybe beyond interest income from banks - and was used to do (A), (B), (C) above, rather than to include(D) Investment in Infrastructure (Roads, Railway, Power, Water), for which citizens will be required to pay(E) Low-Interest Loans for Education(F) Low-Interest Loan for Agriculture(G) Low-Interest Loans for Manufacturing Industries(H) Conservative Investment in Foreign SecuritiesA successful investment in these will not only DEVELOP the country, but a portion of the return on investments will be ADDED to the income of the retirees via (D) to (G) above.That is what is done all the world over - except in Nigeria apparently - out of fear of corruption? We must rise above that, and be confident that we can put the proper controls.In conclusion, I fully support the conservative use of the trillions of PENCOM in developing our country. Not doing so is ridiculous, and is like that story of the Bible where one man was given a talent and he BURIED it and returned it to its owner who upbraided him, while the others invested theirs, and where given even more money.And there you have it.Bolaji Aluko
On Wed, Oct 7, 2015 at 10:42 PM, 'Leye Ige' via AfricanWorldForum <africanworldforum@googlegroups.com> wrote:
"The funds are held by one independent institution while the investment decisions are made by a different private sector entity. All regulated by PENCOM..No Government can use pension funds as before because the funds neither belong to Govt nor controlled by Govt."--Joe Attueyi
(1) The funds need NOT belong to or be controlled by the Government BEFORE the government can access it. The Government appoints whoever will be the directors of PENCOM and associated entities.
(2) The government does NOT have to "use it as before"; that is, simply dipping its hands into it; BUT the government can utilize it via "Investments"--which is what Pension funds are all about-- just that in this case, the "investment" is in recurrent expenditure.
Leye Ige
--------------------------------------------
On Wed, 10/7/15, Joe Attueyi topcrestt@yahoo.com [OmoOdua] <OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Subject: [OmoOdua] Re: [NIgerianWorldForum] Re: Jonathan spent N3.5tn pension fund on recurrent expenditure – Oshiomhole
To: OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com
Cc: OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com, "Segun Sanni therealsegun@yahoo.com [NaijaPolitics]" <NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>, "Oyo State Intellectual Forum" <Oyo-forum@yahoogroups.com>, "NAIJA Dream Team Intellectuals" <naijadreamteamintellectuals@yahoogroups.com>, "Buddies" <Caucusmen@yahoogroups.com>, "Ode- Besilu's Group" <NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com>, "AfricanWorldForum" <AfricanWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>, "Naija News" <TalkNigeria@yahoogroups.com>, "yahoogroups" <Egbeodua@yahoogroups.com>, "Unilorin friends" <Universityofilorinalum@yahoogroups.com>, "Yan" <YanArewa@yahoogroups.com>, "Professionals" <capitalmarketroundtable@yahoogroups.com>, "Ra'ayi Riga" <raayiriga@yahoogroups.com>, "NaijaEvent@googlegroups.com" <NaijaEvent@googlegroups.com>, "African GM" <africanworldforum@googlegroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2015, 12:29 PM
Post Adeola commission restructuring of
the pension system:
the pension
funds contributed
under the auspices of
the National Pension Commission
(PenCom) are
managed by privately owned Pension Fund
Administrators (PFAs) and kept in custody by
Pension Fund
Custodians
(PFCs).
as Segun
rightly educated those who are interested in knowing how the
pension system currently works in Nigeria. The funds are
held by one independent institution while the investment
decisions are made by a different private sector entity. All
regulated by PENCOM.
No Government can use
pension funds as before because the funds neither belong to
Govt nor controlled by Govt.
Some state governments
have not adopted these pension reforms. Edo is probably one
of them -- which would explain Oshio's
confusion
Joe
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 7, 2015, at 4:48 PM, Leye Ige ige.leye@yahoo.com
[NIgerianWorldForum] <NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>
wrote:
the pension funds contributed
under the auspices of the National Pension Commission
(PenCom) are managed by privately owned Pension Fund
Administrators (PFAs) and kept in custody by Pension
Fund
Custodians (PFCs).
Posted by: Joe Attueyi <topcrestt@yahoo.com>
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