Business
Trustfund Promises Prompt Payment Of Benefits
Nigerian workers have been promised better service delivery and timely payment of their pension to guarantee a comfortable retirement.
The acting Managing Director, Trustfund Pension Plc, Mrs Helen Da-Souza, gave the promise in Abuja at the interactive session with the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria.
She said that labour should take the driving seat in the entire process of transformation to the new pension scheme in the country as a whole.
Da-Souza told the workers that there were many instances when employers made deductions without remitting.
She explained that the implication of it was that upon retirement, the affected workers might not have the correct amount that was due to them.
She said that labour had a vital role to play in ensuring that the contributions of its members were safe and secured.
“As a major stakeholders and beneficiary of pension schemes, it is our submission that labour should take the driving seat in the entire process of transformation to the new pension scheme in the entire country.
“Those of us presented as workers today are the pensioners of tomorrow.
“We need to remind ourselves of the terrible past in which workers died awaiting their pensions.
“This meeting is to re-echo the great possibilities that we have and the need for unions and the pension managers should work together for a brighter future.’’
The National President of the union, Mr Ayuba Wabba said the meeting was to enable the union address the issues of retirement benefits of its members.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.