Ebere Nwoji
The Director General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Chinelo Anohu-Amazu will be the key note speaker at the National Lecture Series of the Catholic Brothers United (CBU) scheduled to hold in Lagos.
This year’s edition of the annual lecture has the theme: ’’The Use of Pension Funds As a Catalyst for Economic Diversification”.
According to the organisers, the theme is considered apt as the country grapples with the challenges of acute infrastructure deficit needed to propel economic growth.
The lecture, which is in its 17th year in the series aims at providing a national discourse on how the country can leverage on funds like the Pension Funds to accelerate economic development and growth.
The Spokes man of the group, Mr. Chika Izuora said the PenCom boss has already sent in her acceptance letter to personally deliver the key note address at the forum.
According to Izuora, Anohu- Amazu in her acceptance letter to speak at the forum which will hold August 7, 2016 at the Mc Govern Hall of St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, commended the CBU for sustaining the practice of community development activities that have been uplifting the Church and the entire community adding that the annual lecture is one of such programmes that is worthy of commendation.
Commenting on the initiative, President of CBU, Emmanuel Uwukhor said financing infrastructure projects using pensions funds has been a major topical issue that has generated much controversies given the experience with the previous pension scheme.
Uwukhor stated that it has become imperative to use the CBU platform to further clarify issues around such discussion as huge population of the Catholic community are subscribers to the Contributory Pensions Scheme (CPS) while others in the informal sector are itching to join the scheme.
“What we want to achieve is to sensitise the teeming Catholic faith and also the general public on the need to understand the benefits of the CPS and how the initiative will lead to fruitful retirement.
“We know the family value system is collapsing and the average Nigerian is facing challenges and therefore early savings using this channel would provide them some relief at old age, so we owe the society the responsibility as enshrined in our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to educate them on government policies that aims to better their lot.”
