Some 77 staff of a waste management company in Lagos State under the Public Support Project (PSP), has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over their multi-million Naira unremitted pension money.
Operatives of EFCC on Wednesday, told our Correspondent that a petition to that effect was deposited at the agency’s Awolowo Road office, early this month by workers from Messrs Waste-Point Nigeria Limited.
Waste-Point is a Lagos-based company that is into commercial and private waste collection for and on behalf of LAWMA.
According to the petition, operators of PSP under the Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) have abused the revised pension law in the country. “Almost every one of them, would make deductions from their staff salaries, in the name of personal pension scheme, but would never remit the money into the individual staff accounts.”
A staff of the company, who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed that they have deposited a petition with the anti-graft agency against the management for allegedly indulging in unexplainable deductions from their already meagre salaries.
He further alleged that the staff strength of Waste-Point as at today stood at 77, “with only less than 40 of them as permanent staff of the company. The rest of us are casuals, yet, management are deducting our monies as taxes and pension funds, without even remitting the money appropriately.”
He further stated that, the company, upon employing some of them had stated in their appointment letter that, Stanbic IBTC pension managers is their pension administrators. “I have been working for three years now, but I did not know I am a casual worker.”
It was gathered also that contrary to the law, most of the affected staff are on casual employment, yet their weekly pay are being deducted in the name of pension and taxes, that the management would never remit to the relevant authority.
EFCC Spokesperson, Wilson Uwugiaren, in a chat with our Correspondent from Abuja, confirmed that the Commission of late has been inundated with petitions, alleging sharp practices by management of some companies who are engaging in sharps practices, with their workers money.
“Many companies in Lagos, especially those working for Lagos State Government under this PSP program, are into sharp practices with workers’ money. We have received petitions against most of them, and soon we would move in. There is no better way to describe their conducts, other than fraud,” said the Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, in telephone interview from Abuja.
When our correspondent contacted the company, its Managing Director, one Olumuyiwa Adeniyi, confirmed that, Stanbic IBTC pension managers were in charge of his workers’ pension. He denied that pension and taxes were being deducted across the board for all workers.
He however admitted that some of his staff are on contract, while some were casuals. “Those casuals and contract appointment, we do not deduct anything from their salaries. The deductions we do are on our permanent staff.”
Investigation at Stanbic IBTC office in Lagos indicated that, though Waste- Point was their client, staff company account was never serviced by management of Waste-Point, “until two weeks ego, when they hurriedly came to formalize the opening of their staff pension accounts.”
The source at the bank stated that management of Waste-Point was duly informed about the implication of deducting pension from workers’ salaries and refusing to remit to the relevant agencies.
