PTAD completes North East verification exercise for pensioners

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has completed the North East pension verification exercise, achieving a capture rate of 70% which represents 6445 pensioners.

Sharon Ikeazor, Executive Secretary PTAD, in Abuja on Tuesday said that the North Eastern verification was geared towards bringing back hope to the pensioners in the region and also to support the president’s goal of ending the insurgency in the North East.

She said “the verification of the North East was our contribution to support the president’s goal of ending the insurgency in the North East, the region had been ravaged and we need to bring back hope to the pensioners.”

She also informed that a total of 55,400 pensioners have been verified under the Civil Service nationwide and 21,123 pensioners have been captured in the South-South representing 91%.

The agency has confirmed Lagos state, South West and North Central as the next regions to be verified within the shortest period.

She further explained that 4,000 new pensioners who were brought into the payroll at the later end of 2016 after the field verification exercise conducted in 2015 are however  allowed to enjoy the complete benefits due to them in pension scheme.

The agency which was established in August 2013 to carry out the functions of the old defunct pension offices of the; Police, Paramilitary, Civil service and Parastatal pension has overtime recorded great achievements since its inception.

It has developed a credible database of pensioners under it to ensure accurate pension payment, it has also recorded increase in the number of pensioners from 160,000 to 223,000 due to a swift consolidation of 253 parastatals and agencies.

The Executive Secretary while recounting the vision of the pension directorate informed that the agency was ready to serve the pensioners and ensure they enjoy their regular monthly pension.

According to her, “It is the vision of the PTAD to achieve and sustain optimal pensioner satisfaction and stakeholder buy-in and collaboration, initiate talks to get our pensioners on NHIS to enable them get rebate on purchases as this will generally improve their welfare.

“In some areas it has acted as a bold advocate, while in others it has worked silently with stakeholders to ensure that pensioners always get the best they can from the government”, she said.

She further explained that the agency has showed commitment to bringing positive change in the administration of pensions in the country as it create different platforms to improve the welfare of the pensioners under its management.

On the path of optimal satisfaction delivery, PTAD in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has put in place measures to ensure that the system remains a fraud free zone and has developed call centers with trained personnel to ensure prompt response to the complaints of the pensioners.

 

 

Cynthia Egboboh, Abuja