News Editor
A civil society group has expressed dismay over alleged high-level corruption in the Nigerian Pension Commission, PenCom under the leadership of Hajiya Aisha Dahiru-Umar.
The Centre for Public Accountability (CPA), has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to swiftly investigate the Director-General, of the Commission Aisha Dahiru-Umar before things get “completely messy.”
In a petition to the commission signed by its Executive Director, Olufemi Lawson, CPA alleges that during the COVID-19 global pandemic, Dahiru-Umar was allegedly paid tens of thousands of foreign currencies for courses abroad which she never attended.
The petition read, “It is on this basis that we write this petition to your commission for a thorough investigation, into several acts of corruption, particularly as related, into several funds received by Aisha Dahiru Umar, from PENCOM for foreign trips and courses that she never attended.
“In recent times, it has become a practice for office holders to swindle public funds under the guise of foreign courses but subsequently divert same into private pockets.
“We hope to also intimate you, with the fact that after collecting those funds, Aisha Dahiru Umar, hides in her Abuja residence or outside Abuja for a few days and return to work pocketing Tens of millions of Naira and several sums of foreign currency.
“This act corruption, was also repeated a few weeks/ months ago as she was paid over Forty million Naira, and after being questioned by a whistle blower, with a threat to expose her, she quickly returned about Twenty Five million, out of the said amount.
“During the COVID-19 global pandemic, Aisha Dahiru Umar, was paid Tens of thousands of foreign currencies, for courses she never attended.
“We urge the EFCC to carry out an audit of payments made to her for foreign courses, requesting for attendance certificates, air tickets and boarding passes as proof of attendance.
“This will help to identify if the attached bank statements and payment advices correspond, which we believe will uncover the massive fraud and gross abuse of office with such impunity.
“PENCOM had paid about N1billion into her various bank accounts between 2015 till date which we believed your commission can verify via the BVN system.
“During her tenure as acting DG, from the proceeds of such massive fraud she purchased a house worth hundreds of millions of Naira located at plot 309, No.20 Adamu Aliero Crescent Guzape Abuja. Also from the travel fraud and other corrupt activities at PENCOM, She bought a N700million property at No. 53 Nelson Mandela, Asokoro, Abuja.
“She has also secretly acquired several assets with family members fronting for her including Millions of Naira paid into accounts of family members. She also has allocated several assets of the commission including cars and uses commission staff to service houses of her relatives and has defrauded the commission of Millions of Naira for the monthly procurement of diesel fuel for two houses belonging to her children.
“A forensic audit of her expenses and the finances of PENCOM should be carried out to stop the looting in the public interest. This subject matter is not new to you and several Nigerians have repeatedly drawn your attention to this. We have decided to take up this challenge after you called for a petition through your social media account on Twitter.
“We, therefore, call on you to investigate this act, trace the money and ensure that same is not channeled towards any purpose other payment of pensions to beneficiaries who have served the country and are now retired.
The Commission has lately been enmeshed in several scandals boarding on wages, misappropriation and theft of public property.
