In
Nigeria local government system, the issue of pension has come to line light to
the knowledge of an average man in the country. It is equally unequivocal
that a great number of people’s life depend on their monthly retirement pension
and therefore it should be an issue paramount importance to the society at
large.
The ultimate aim of all workers in
any well established organization be it federal state
company or local
government is to be fend for one self on retirement from service or to obtain
some relief in the event of being in capacitated or even for the relations to
claim some bone benefits after health. Pension gratuity suppose to serve these
purposes.
Pension is a periodical payment made especially by
government, company or employer in consideration of past service or relinuishment
of right and gratuity on the other hand is a fixed lump-sum payment usually
granted immediately upon the retirement of an officer. No arm of government
ever existed without an instrument or act establishing them.
Pension programmes in Nigeria has greatest lots of
problems and concern both locally and abroad with elderly people queing for
long houses and some dying on the process for just their wido’s mite which they
are entitled to after spending them active life in the service of them various organization laws became necessary to
examine the administration and come up with recommendations that would ensure prompt payment of pension also provide order to forestall sub erratic and
irregular payment problems.
The pension reform act, 2007, (the Act”) was passed
into law on the 25th June2007 by the national assembly.
Repeating the pension Act, 1979 and amending the nsitf
Decrece of 1973 and to achieve the above objectives.
Although the return remains a very positive in Nigeria
are effectively administrated, the system of operation, and even the act still
poses some challenges.
Pension administration has come to be as it is to deal
with a wide spectra of life and management of part of their youthful period in
the service of the state or local governments made this study worth while as to
delve into modalities and ways to meet up responsible officials who will carter
for the pensioners is advocated in this study.
STATEMENT
OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
For decades many people who retire from the public
service especially the Local Government Councils. Complain bitterly’ about the
problem they encountered or are still encountering I terms of the monthly
pension and gratuity. This equally gives these about to retire some concern as
to what is going to be their fate on retirement.
The reasons why Government has not taken a decisive
action toward a final decapitation of the heinous problems of the people too
old for work or to be used for their original purpose is rather strange and
difficult to explain.
On
the other hand is government deaf or blind over the increasing number of men
and women who slumped and died in the bid to collect retirement pension
allowances.
It will be grossinssen sensitivity
of government to the plight of men and women who served in their various
capacities languish in stead of ensconced in this later part of their lives or
could it be that government is no longer capable of fulfilling its obligation
to retiring officers and is gradually phasing with the challenges and demands
posses by this ever increasing number of men and women who are on the exist
from the active service.
The enormous impression about
retirement and pension which is fast gaining a higher dimension in the circle
of those about to retire is a major focus of this study more-so to suggest ways
forward the amelioration of sufferings of the retirees and channel the burden
into government through a functional approach.
In 1987 the provisional Ruling
Council established Local Government pension boards in each state of the
federation. Each board has challenged with the responsibility of paying the
retiring benefits (pension & gratuity) to the Local Government retirees.
In Ebonyi State the Local Government
pension board was established in 1999.
By state Edit no 10 of 1999. the edit contains the ingredients of pensions
the Act 102 has good will for Local Government is not taking its right part.
The emphasis on functional way to pension administration in Nigeria Local
government and the attainment of all the goodness that is involved in building
a varile pension office staffed with dedicated and more.
Anwana: 1996 summed up that the
dreaded mammon in pension administration is shortage of skilled pension and
general staff.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objective or the board objective of this study is
to advocate a functional way to pension administration in Nigeria Local
Government System.
It the also aimed at getting down to the root cause of
prevalent problems militating against proper pension administration through the
application of an empirical diagnose of the bureaucratically process applied
pension administration. The study is set to achieve the following specific
objectives:
1.
To identify
whether the pension administrations are living up to expectations and equally
the problem facing them.
2.
To examine the
strength caliber experience of the staff deployed to carry out these jobs.
3.
To describe the
extent and type of materials at the disposal of the workers in the pension
office.
4.
To examine the
actual system and working environment under which the pension worker operate.
5.
To establish the
degree of neglect and disregard to duties all to the detriment of the retirees.
Out
pension and gratuity. The issue pension is now a common feature on the faces of
national dailies, Radio comment and so many magazines.
The deplorable look of dejection on the faces of the
retirees is enough invitation that all is not well and by the complains of
these men and women, it is adduced that:
(a) The processing of
retirees file are unduly delayed
(b)
There is lack of commitment
to duty by the pension administrators.
(c) Pension fund is diverse at certain point before reaching the retirees.
(d) Monthly pension
allowances is not enough to sustain the pensioners.
(e) Unskilled and incompetent officers dominates the staff strength of the pension office.
(f) The abuse of
supervisor and check by higher authorities is a major cause of laxity and impede on the part of the pension administration.
HYPOTHESIS
on
the basis of the foregoing discussions on fundamental approach to pensions
administration in Nigeria Local
Government System, and in accordance wishes to formulate the following
hypotheses:
HO: the pension administrators are not living
up to expectation and there are problems facing them.
H1: the pension administrators are living up
to expectation and there no problems facing them.
HO:
there is no degree of neglect disregard to duties by pension administrators
that is detrimental to retirees
H2:
there is degree of neglect/ disregard to duties by pension administrators that
is detrimental to retirees
HO:
the pension administrators deployed has no strength knowledge and experience to
carry lout pension administration duties
H3:
the pension administrators deployed has the strength knowledge and experience
to carryout pension administration duties.
HO:
there is no availability of materials at the disposal of materials at the
disposal of pension administrators.
SCOPE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE STUDY.
Basically
there are several issues related to pension administration in Nigeria as a
whole but this research shall be limited to the prevalent problems in limited
against proper pension administration in Nigeria Local Government System.
Notwithstanding, during the research
work the researcher encountered many problems at the process of writing the
project which some of them are:
Fund: lack of fund has helped in
hampering the progress of them research work in as much as there is no money to
run the affairs or transporting to appropriate offices to collect materials for
the project.
Unavailability
of materials: unavailability of materials for the fact that government
officials were not always on seat who should have provided adequate and useful
information, and the reluctance and un-cooperative attitude of some of them in
releasing data or information relevant to the study.
Time: thirdly during the research
work the researcher was faced with combing civic service work and writing of
the project at the same time.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This
study relates to practical problem with a wide range of administrative and
resource management.
In
essence, the significance of this study cannot be over emphasized if one
considers the fact that the issue of pension problems touches the life of one
families, relations and the society in general.
Therefore, pension is a life matter,
and should be viewed with every seriousness matters might perpetuate discomfort
and life.
Thus this study is significant in
the following ways:
1.
it will serve as
a guide and source of information to impact fair knowledge and proper solutions
to problem especially to pension fund managers for the improvement of their
job.
2.
the entire endite
word of civil or rather public servants will be greatly enriched and equipped
with knowledge in course of their impending retirement.
3.
pensions as well
benefit from this study as to be well informed in pension matters as it affects
them.
4.
finally, this
research work will be a foundation for further research works on this topics or
other related issues.
Theoretical
frame work to undertake this study the research work adopted motivation theory,
one of the theories under content approach of theories is the maslow need line
rarchy theory developed by Abraham H. Maslow. Since theories are integrated set
of propositions intended to explain certain phenomenon the adopted theory of
motivation will be of great important, and apt to explain why men work. Human
motives is based on needs whether consciously felt. Some are primary needs such
as the physiological requirements for water, air, food, sex, sleep and shelter.
Other needs may be regarded as
secondary, such as self-esteem status affiliation with other affection, giving,
accomplishment and self assertion. These needs very in intensity and over time
with various individuals.
Harold
knont2; 1980.
Bereleson
and steinor are quoted the term motives.
The
inner state that energions activities or moves( hence motivation) and that
direct or channels behaviour towards goals.
In
other words “motivation” is a general term applying to the entire class of
drives, desires, needs wishes and similar forces heriold koont2: 1980 further
the theory of motivation is buttressed by using v rooms “Epertancy theory”
forward the understanding of motivation v room suggested that:
A
pension’s motivation toward an action any time would better values minded by
his or her out homes (both negative and positive) of the action multiplied by
the strength of the person’s expection that the out come would yield the
desired goal.
Nwankwo (1988) in his own contribution sess motivation
as: an internal psychological process whose presence or absence is inferred
from observed performance.
The essential element of these theories are that
people will be motivated to do things to achieve some goal to the extent that
they expect that certain actions on their part will help them achieve the goal,
much the same as what martin Luther observed centuries ago when he said that “
every thing that is done in the world is done in hope”.
Nweke (1989) sport lighted some of the ingredients of
maslow’s theory of motivation which deals with the self actualization or self
fulfillment needs to achieve the potentials within self for maximum self
development and creativity and self expression following that part of the basic
needs, bruce E. moon: 1991 accepted basic needs a developed goal, but
commitment to the meeting of the basic needs does not entail commitment to any
particular strategy for bringing it about.
The above theory strives well in a developed and
favourable economy but the Nigerian case is a negative and has enchored the
strategy for the retired person on the
party he receives as pension. In full consideration of this situation,
that “ the measure of a society is the way it treats its poor” sticks a
resonant chored even if those threatened by “idea that basic needs of all
should be satisfied before the less essential needs of a few”
The present day worker without mincing words has his
or her hope anchored on pension for survival after retirement as much could not
be achieved during the working days therefore the above theories corresporated
the fact that most pensioners and even those still in service work and crave
for the actualization of what maslow called the self fulfillment needs and a
better ending of their carrier service or blissful retirement period.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
(1) Local
government: it means a political authority set by either a national or state
government, as a subordinate authonomy for the purpose of dispensing or
decentralizing political power.
(2) Pension: this
means a periodical payment made especially by government company or employer in
consideration of the past services rendered by retirees.
(3) PENSION FUND: it
means money accumulated for the payment of pension workers after retirement.
(4) PENSION PLAN:
this is a program established by a company, labour Union or other organization
that provides income for workers after retirement.
(5) PENSIONER: This
is a pension who is receiving a pension, especially from the government: as
old age pensioner.