Maryam Abedo: Unassuming, Restoring Dignity To Kogi Pensioners

Maryam Abedo: Unassuming, Restoring Dignity To Kogi Pensioners

By Abu Micheal

She does not wear her office like a crown. Hajia Mariam Ozioma Abedo, Director General of the Kogi State Pension Commission, walks into rooms without noise but leaves with results that speak for thousands. In a sector once defined by arrears and agony, she has become the face of solvency, speed and service.

Unassuming in personality, but deeply impactful in management, she is the rare public officer who manages figures on paper and dignity in people’s lives.

Reason why her her reappointment as DG reflects the confidence Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has in her leadership. That confidence is not misplaced. Since assuming office in August 2020, she has justified the trust placed in her by serving with integrity and commitment.

She pursued excellence when no one was watching and remained focused on delivering quality service to the people of Kogi State long before commendations started coming in.

Under her leadership, pensions are currently being paid promptly and consistently. The stories of retirees waiting years for monthly stipends have given way to stories of alerts hitting accounts on schedule.

That shift did not happen by accident. It happened because she insisted that the commission must be defined by prompt payment of benefits, the number one expectation of every retiree.

She reaffirmed recently that Governor Ododo remains deeply committed to the wellbeing of retired Civil servants and revealed that plans are underway depending on funds availability to commence bulk payment of gratuities as the state’s revenue improves.

That announcement brought relief to families who have carried the weight of unpaid gratuities since 2002. Clearing that backlog has been one of her quietest but most powerful achievements if it is achieved.

Transparency and accountability define her style of leadership. Everything from contribution remittances to benefit payments now follows a clear, open process. Pensioners no longer need to “know someone” to get what is theirs. The commission publishes its records, runs clean audits, and operates with zero tolerance for corruption because it handles people’s life savings.

Coming from the Banking Sector, her financial soundness and actuarial discipline are the backbone of her reforms. She stabilized the pension fund through disciplined investment, enforcement of remittances from MDAs and LGAs, and strict compliance with approved, low-risk assets. A weak fund collapses no matter how good the staff are, and she made sure Kogi’s fund would not collapse on her watch.

Technology-driven operations have replaced the old manual files that bred delays and fraud. Her introduction of the ‘I Am Alive’ biometric verification initiative allows pensioners to confirm their status at any commercial bank nearest to them, without traveling to Lokoja. Stakeholders call it the easiest and most effective exercise ever introduced in the history of pension administration in the state.

The result is zero “ghost pensioners” and a seamless database for pension management. Record sorting and documentation, once stressful and endless, are now hitch-free. Mrs. Roseline Alabi, Executive Director of Dual Care Initiative, described the last verification exercise as stress-free and praised Abedo for making it less traumatic for senior citizens and elder statesmen.

Compassion and customer service orientation set her apart. Retirees are elderly and vulnerable, and Abedo treats them with the respect due to parents and grandparents. She honored senior citizens with dignity during verification, set up functional help desks, and ensured field outreaches so that no pensioner is left behind. Service delivery matters as much as the money, and she understands that.

She is not just an administrator of figures. She is a restorer of dignity. While others managed pensions on paper, she met retirees at the point of their pain and replaced it with automation, accountability and empathy. Her outstanding performance did not just pay pensions on time. It paid back the years of neglect pensioners suffered.

Her reforms are preparing Kogi for the future. Arrangements to migrate from the Defined Benefits Scheme to the Contributory Pension Scheme are in top gear, with full implementation expected soon as the coast is clear.

The CPS mandates 8% contribution from employees and 10% from government, ensuring prompt and hassle-free access to retirement benefits. She said the reform is aimed at preventing the delays and challenges experienced under the current system.

“We are determined to build a pension system that is transparent, responsive, and fully digitized. With the Contributory Pension Scheme, the future of our workers is secure,” she stated. That vision is already taking shape in data collection and registration with Pension Fund Administrators that have commenced.

Strong regulatory and enforcement power under her watch compels compliance. The commission now enforces timely remittances, and the days of casual defaults by government agencies are fading. Without enforcement teeth, pension funds bleed. She closed those leakages.

Stakeholder engagement is another hallmark. She constantly interfaces with labor unions, retiree associations and MDAs. She has over the years maintained the standard of fairness, patriotism and dedication because she knows that institutions only outlive individuals when culture is built right.

Professional, trained staff who have been trained and retrained now drive the commission’s technical work. Pension administration demands actuarial science, investment, law and ICT. Abedo ensured that competence, not political patronage, guides recruitment and operations, and the impact is visible in the clean audits and seamless processes.

Integrity remains her watchword. In a world where many are more concerned about themselves, she has proven to be selfless in serving the state with patriotism. Pastor Mrs. Roseline Alabi described her as “a rare personality, hard to come by,” and “a round peg in a round hole” for the assignment.

The DG’s footprints on the commission remain remarkable. She transformed Kogi State Pension Commission from an office of queues and complaints into an institution of service delivery to retirees. Pensioners who are beneficiaries of the reform are proud of her accomplishments, and that pride is the best performance indicator.

Governor Ododo’s support has amplified her work. He has maintained regular release of monthly funds for gratuity payments and approved the construction of a new Pension Commission office complex, Pencom House in Lokoja, to create a more conducive working environment and strengthen institutional operations.

Mr. Joseph Itodo, speaking for Concern Elderly, expressed utmost thanks to government for finding Abedo worthy of service and prayed for God to grant her good health, prosperity and wisdom to continue her trajectory of selfless service. That prayer echoes the gratitude of thousands of Kogi pensioners.

Maryam Abedo pursued excellence when it was not fashionable and remained focused when it was not easy. She is the definition of an impactful pension administrator: solvency in the fund, speed in payment, and service in attitude. Kogi pensioners no longer talk about what they are owed. They talk about what they have received. That is leadership.

In Hajia Mariam Ozioma Abedo, Kogi State found an unassuming woman with an uncommon impact. She turned pension management from a burden into a promise kept. And as she prepares the commission for the Contributory Pension Scheme era, one thing is clear: the future of Kogi retirees is in safe, steady, and compassionate hands.

Abu Micheal, Journalist, Publisher, ANIPR, MNIM, Editorial Board Member, Guild of Interfaith Media Practitioners Nigeria, MCIA, Can be reached via Tel: No. 09017338366.