The National Assembly joint panel on the Pension Act amendment bill has listed qualifications expected of persons aspiring to head the National Pension Commission, which currently has Mr. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu as its acting Director-General.
The Presidency had proposed a 15-year experience, among others, as part of the requirements for the would-be head of the agency in the pension Act amendment bill already before the National Assembly.
However, Chairman of the joint committee, Senator Aloyius Etok, told journalists on Monday that the panel might consider a further reduction in the proposed years of experience to accommodate persons of good character and experience in pension management in the country.
“I will be the last person to consider somebody without experience in pension to head PENCOM, even if the executive send your name I will not consider that person. We are talking about cognate experience in character and track records,” he said.
Etok assured members of the public that his committee would recommend persons with less than 10 years to head the agency provided they have good track records and expertise to deliver.
He argued that “age and post-qualification experience should not be the major consideration in the choice of Director-General of the PENCOM.”
He clarified that the committee would insist on merit and efficiency rather than chose a person with 25 years’ post-qualification experience but who had probably served in any of the failed institutions in the past.
He said, “Nobody will have 15 years cognate experience in pension management in Nigeria, and those who claimed to have experience are those who may be under-employed for the said years and such persons will count it as years of experience.
“If somebody has been on the job consistently for 10 years, the person will be better than someone without consistent experience but has 25 years’ post-qualification experience.
The Presidency had in the amendment to the Pension Act proposed a reduction in the post-qualification experience from 20 to 15 years.
Other stakeholders at a recent public hearing on the bill had also advised the committee to peg the years of experience at 15 to allow for more energetic and efficient persons to run the agency.
