Centre For Public Accountability Seeks Probe Of DG Of Nigerian Pension Commission, PENCOM, Dahir-Umar Over Alleged Corruption
CPA had in a petition to the EFCC expressed dismay over alleged high-level corruption in PENCOM under Dahir-Umar.
The Centre for Public Accountability (CPA) has demanded that the anti-graft agency Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), should immediately probe the Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), Aisha Dahir-Umar.
Meanwhile, the CPA Executive Director, Olufemi Lawson, commended the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), on its effort to probe Dahir-Umar.
SaharaReporters in December 2022 reported that CPA had in a petition to the EFCC expressed dismay over alleged high-level corruption in PENCOM under Dahir-Umar.
The group in the petition signed by Lawson said that during the COVID-19 global pandemic, Dahir-Umar was allegedly paid tens of thousands of foreign currencies for courses she never attended.
The CPA’s earlier 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 whistleblower, 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 N1 billion 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 N700 million 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 being returned back to the commission.”
Sequel to the petition, Oluwafemi commended the ICPC for having commenced an investigation into the allegations against the PENCOM boss, saying that the anti-graft agency has shown greater commitment to exemplary service delivery to all its stakeholders.
He said, “We commend the ICPC for swift action but it is also important that we inform them not to go to sleep over this as we expect that effort must be put in place to bring her too book for her corrupt practices.
“We understand that the woman (Aisha Dahir-Umar) in question has boasted to compromise everyone as she tried to infiltrate the CSO organization calling for her prosecution.”
Meanwhile, the group again called on the EFCC to as a matter of urgency investigate the petition written and submitted to its office regarding allegations of corrupt practices levelled against Dahir-Umar.
