Premium Pension pays over 75% dead workers’ entitlements

Mr Adamu Mele, the Executive Director, Operational Services, Premium Pension Ltd.(PPL), on Thursday said the company had paid next-of-kins of over 75 per cent of workers who died in active service their entitlements.

Mele said this in an interview with our reporter in Abuja.

According to him, PPL has solved over 75 per cent of those cases because it reviewed the payments of these entitlements on a monthly basis to determine the levels those complaints were being resolved.

Mele explained that PPL tried as much as possible to get across to the next-of-kins of those who died in active service in order to assist them to get the entitlements of their dead ones, immediately.

He advised that as soon as the next–of kin noticed that their relation had died and he happened to be a customer of PPL, they should quickly notify the company.

He said that there were certain documentations that were required in order to enable the next-of-kin to access these benefits left by their dead ones who were customers of PPL.

The executive director noted that delays in the receipt of these benefits of workers who died in service were sometimes due to ignorance on the part of their next-of-kin of the procedures and the documentation processes.

Mele said that the process of documentation was simply enshrined in the the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) Act, adding that a next-of-kin who lost his relation should quickly notify his Pension Fund Administrator.

He said that in order to fast track payment of entitlements to the relations of workers who died in service PPL had established call centres that worked day and night across Nigeria to reach beneficiaries.

Similarly, Mele said PPL had relationship management officers across the nation to guide next-of –kin who lost their relations on how to go about their documentation so that they could quickly process their benefits.

He explained that PPL staff took calls from customers 24 hours; hence clients had nothing to fear as they would get quality services.

On the recent release of N54 billion by the Federal Government to settle pension arrears of pensioners from 2014, 2015, 2016 to even 2013, Mele described it as a welcome development noting that the mony when paid to the retirees would act as a catalyst to economic development.

He assured that immediately the money hit PPL systems, the company would be able to meet it obligation and pay its retiree customers their outstanding accrued rights.