PenCom denies embezzlement allegation against DG
The Pension Commission (PENCOM) has debunked allegations of financial impropriety levelled against the Commission and her Director General, Mrs. Aisha Dahir- Umar.
The commission in a release described the allegation as false, unfounded and mischievous.
According to the statement, it was alleged that the Director General was alleged to have paid millions of dollars as estacodes for foreign trips she did not embark upon in 2020.
The Commission said although the promoters of the fiction went to the extent of manufacturing documents and listing non-existent bank accounts to make the fabrication look real, a fiction remains a fiction and can never become the truth no matter how many times it is repeated and recycled.
It said that such a poor attempt at calumny was exposed by the naked fact that there was a global lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic, during which international travels were restricted and offices shutdown, leading to virtual meetings across the globe.
Explaining further, the commission in the release said: “It is, thus, most outlandish to suggest that any government agency would claim to be paying allowances to its officials for international travels when most airports were shut down globally.
“More so, official foreign trips require strict documentation, including air tickets, stamped passport pages and evidence of number of days spent. Rates for estacodes are standardised. If the DG were to spend two years abroad without returning to the country for one day, it would still be impossible for her to claim a million dollars as estacode. The desperate fabricators need to respect the intelligence of Nigerians.
We are aware of current political intrigues in the country caused by the jostling for appointments, but we believe there are more decent ways of going about it than peddling tales by moonlight and using notorious online outlets to push the lies to unsuspecting readers. The public is implored to ignore these fake documents and the discredited allegations being recycled at the slightest opportunity.”
The commission however noted that it has nothing to hide and will continue to run a transparent and accountable system.