Management of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT)
says the National Pensions Act, 2008, Act 766 will not allow payouts to
contributors to the Scheme, as suggested by the flagbearer of the opposition
National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama.
The former President had in a live Facebook interaction asserted that “social
security contributions are essentially an insurance scheme made not just for
pension and old age before we die. They are also made to help contributors
in times of adversities such as this”.
He further suggested that SSNIT made a token payment to all contributors
over a three month period, to weather the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic.
But in a response issued through a press release on Friday, management of
the Trust said it had taken notice of Mr Mahama’s concerns, but submitted
that “the benefits His Excellency is suggesting that we pay do not exist in
law.”
According to SSNIT, “to do so will constitute an illegality and a contravention
of the provisions of the National Pensions Act, 2008, Act 766.”
The Trust was a creature of law emanating from the National Pensions Act,
2008, Act 766 which governed the administration of SSNIT and all other
pension schemes in the country.
SSNIT, as operator of the first tier Basic National Social Security Scheme,
had its operations, reach and mandate clearly stated in the law.
In spite of the fact that the world had found itself in abnormal times the
Trust maintained that it remained firmly committed to paying over GH¢213
million in monthly pensions to some 213,173 pensioners on the SSNIT
payroll as well as honouring payments to all new pensioners that apply.
Source : NowNews Ghanaa
