PenCom denies allegation of million dollars estacode against DG
By Patience Ikpeme
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has categorically denied the allegations that its Director General, Mrs Aisha Dahir-Umar, received millions of dollars in estacode for foreign trips she did not undertake in 2020.
In a statement released by the National Pension Commission (PenCom), the allegations were described as baseless and unfounded.
According to PenCom, “the individuals behind these claims went to great lengths to fabricate documents and create fictitious bank accounts in an attempt to lend credibility to their false narrative”.
In dismissing the allegation, PenCom noted that “the year 2020 was marked by a global lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in severe restrictions on international travel”.
Therefore, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) said it is highly implausible for any government agency to claim to be compensating its officials for international travel during a period when airports worldwide were closed.
The pension industry regulator added that “official foreign trips require extensive documentation, such as air tickets, stamped passport pages, and evidence of the duration of stay. Estacode rates are standardized and cannot be arbitrarily claimed”.
“Even if the Director General were to spend two years abroad without returning to the country, it would still be impossible for her to claim a million dollars in estacode” PenCom said.
The National Pension Commission believes that the current smear campaign against its Director General may not be unconnected with “current political dynamics in the country, which often involve competition for appointments”.
The Commission appealed to those jostling for political appointments to do so in a more honorable way than spreading falsehoods and using disreputable online outlets to propagate lies to unsuspecting readers.
PenCom then urged “the public to disregard these fake documents and discredited allegations whenever they resurface. The Commission has nothing to hide and will continue to operate with transparency and accountability”.
