By Oboh Linus, Lafia
The Nasarawa State Pension Bureau has debunked allegations of misappropriation levelled against its management by one Oscar Keana in a viral social media video.
The management debunked the allegation in a statement issued by the Head of Public Relations of the Bureau, Mr Ibrahim Dawayya, on Wednesday in Lafia.
The statement said contrary to the baseless allegation, the Bureau’s operations were transparent and open for officially recognised Media outlets as well as anti-graft agencies for scrutiny.
The Statement challenged Oscar Keana to disclose to the public the names of officers, their alleged properties and locations to authenticate his claims.
It noted that Keana’s failure to name officers he claimed to be involved, the Management of the Bureau would take legal actions against him.
Dawayya said the Pension Bureau under the stewardship of Alhaji Suleiman Musa -Nagogo has achieved significant milestones in the administration of Gov. Abdullahi Sule.
“The attention of the Nasarawa State Pension Bureau has been drawn to a viral video circulating on the Social Media ( Facebook ) by one Oscar Keana, accusing Management of the Bureau of misappropriation of funds.
“The Bureau has found it pertinent to address the issues raised in the video to set the record straight and to save the public from feeding on falsehoods that have become the mannerism of the poster.
“Therefore, the Management of the Bureau issues a 24-hour ultimatum to Oscar Keana to provide the above-mentioned proofs and failure to do that, we shall take legal actions against,” the statement said.
According to the statement, Keana shall also tender a public apology through the same platform he used to spread falsehoods, unfounded, baseless and malicious allegations against the Management of Nasarawa State Pension Bureau.
The statement reassured people of Nasarawa state that the Pension Bureau under the leadership of Nagogo would continue to run an open-door operation for the benefit of the people, particularly pensioners, both state and Local Governments.
The statement highlights some of the key achievements of the Nagogo-led Pension Bureau, including payment of over N5 billion for outstanding gratuities from 1999–2010 backlogs.
The statement read in parts, “Tremendous achievements focus on clearing long-standing pension backlogs, ensuring 100 per cent prompt monthly payments, and prioritising retiree welfare.
“Similarly, the Pension Bureau, in an effort to improve its services, has implemented digital data management to streamline operations.
“It is on record that the Nasarawa State Pension Bureau settles retirement benefits to deserving pensioners of both State and Local Government Areas across the State on a quarterly basis.
“The processes for the payments are transparent with public announcements placed on both print and broadcast Media as well as names of beneficiaries pasted on the Notice Board of the Bureau,”.(NAN)
