Vincent Ohamuo, a retired member of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Ibadan chapter, has accused the Nigerian University Pension Management Company Limited (NUPEMCO) and the National Pension Commission (PenCom) of withholding his pension and gratuity.

Ohamuo told FIJ that although he had completed the verification exercise required to claim his money, the two organisations had refused to pay him.

The former office assistant said the organisations’ refusal to pay him his dues had made life hard for him as he could not afford his medical bills.

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 “I am ageing and my health is failing. This is no longer funny. I want them to give me my retirement benefits so I can live my life,” Ohamuo told FIJ.

He said that although he resigned in March 2021 after working for 39 years, he could not understand why NUPEMCO, his pension fund administrator, and PenCom refused to let him receive his money.

“My son even sent an e-mail on my behalf twice, but NUPEMCO said they were waiting for reconciliation of my retirement savings account. They said payment would be made as soon as PenCom verified or reconciled my RSA,” he said.

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“From January 2004 to March 2021, I contributed a portion of my salary to NUPEMCO while PenCom refused to pay my gratuity from 1982 to 2004. They keep saying they will pay, so why the delay?”

When FIJ called Lawanda Apata, an employee of NUPEMCO, he said the organisation did not refuse to pay but had not paid because his accrued rights had not been released by PenCom.

“The accrued rights is the payment for the period from whenever he started working till 2004 when they started contribution for PenCom scheme. Without that, we cannot pay,” he said.

FIJ also made several calls to PENCOM, but there was no answer at press time.