The Imo Government says it has started the process of sanitising the state’s Pension Board so as to tackle the rising incidence of fraud in the system.
The Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Mr Ford Ozumba, disclosed this on Monday while speaking with newsmen in Owerri.
Ozumba, who frowned at reports of fraudulent activities in the board, expressed regrets that some of the workers were “responsible for the excesses”.
He described the situation as regrettable, adding that government wasted no time in engaging seasoned hands to prevent the board from becoming a centre for fraudulent activities.
“When we came in, we discovered the incredible fraud in the pension system, a situation which was bleeding the state.
“We hired the services of a seasoned finance expert who had spent all her life in the military, and with all the precision that comes with managing military finance, we have gotten the desired results “, he said.
He thanked Gov. Hope Uzodimma for all the support he had received since assuming office in January 2022 and pledged to continue to justify the confidence reposed in him.
He called on workers and pensioners to support government’s efforts at restructuring the pension system, adding that “every successful retiree would eventually benefit from a functional system”. (NAN)
