By Laurina Lormia
The Civil Service Agency (CSA) has announced the enrollment of 400 employees in the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) pension payroll, marking a significant step towards improved social security for workers.
The CSA, through its Director General, Josiah F. Joekai, however, narrated that the enrollment of other names whose documents were submitted is not yet finalized, thus raising concerns about the timelines of the process.
In a memo issued yesterday, February 13, 2025, to all heads of government’s spending entities, Director Joekai said, “We extend our sincere gratitude for your continuous collaboration with the CSA during the ongoing retirement process of eligible employees of the government.”
“On this note, we are pleased to inform you that significant progress has been made, with over 400 employees enrolled on the National Pension Payroll at the NASSCORP, but the enrollment of other names, whose documents were submitted, is not yet finalized,” he noted.
According to him, employees who have not been enrolled are still being paid on the active government payroll while at home, disclosing that said action is under the CSA’s commitment to retain them on the active payroll from August 2024 to October 2024, which was extended to January 2025.
The CSA Boss, at the same time warned, “We must acknowledge the repercussions of keeping employees on the payroll without them working, despite the existence of their positions, and based on the above, the government through the CSA will take actions beginning February 2025.”
“These actions are to remove the names of the over 400 employees who have been enrolled on the National Pension Payroll as of January 2025, remove the names of ELIGIBLE employees whose C-1 forms were processed and submitted to NASSCORP for enrollment.
Remove the names of ELIGIBLE employees who have deliberately refused to attend the nationwide pre-retirement counselling workshops and data collection exercises and signed the C-I forms, and those in counts 2 & 3 will receive retroactive retirement pension benefits once processed by NASSCORP,” Joekai added.
Meanwhile, while the enrollment is a positive move, CENTAL has also emphasized the need for sustained reforms to combat corruption effectively, thus calling for greater transparency and accountability in public institutions to ensure that such initiatives benefit all Liberians and contribute to national development.
The report also shows Liberia scored 2 points, ranking 141 out of 180 countries, as the marginal progress reflects ongoing challenges with weak anti-corruption efforts and the need to address corruption within both public and private sectors.
Addressing a news conference recently, CENTAL Executive Director Anderson Miamen underscored Liberia’s consistently poor performance, especially her place among the world’s Worst Decliners.
Miamen, at the same time, urged President Boakai to timely and impartially implement reports and recommendations of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission and General Auditing Commission, coupled with recommendations from CSOs to ensure the successful fight against corruption.
