The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate says it has concluded the verification exercise for pensioners from the Civil Service Pension Department and the Police Pension Department.
It also announced the commencement of the second phase of the Parastatals Pensioners’ Verification Exercise.
The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Sharon Ikeazor, confirmed the development to journalists on Wednesday in Port Harcourt during an interactive session with pensioners.
The interaction marked the flag-off of the second phase of verification exercise for Parastatals’ Pensioners for South-South Zone under the Defined Benefit Scheme.
The parastatals’pensioners verification exercise is for pensioners and next of kin of all federally funded parastatals, agencies and institutions under the DBS in the South South Zone.
The exercise covers retirees in no fewer than 270 agencies, including federal universities, polytechnics, Colleges of Educations, Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres.
Retirees from Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Nigeria Railway Corporation, Nigeria Postal Services were also covered in the second phase of the exercise.
Similarly, research institutes and other treasury funded parastatal agencies and institutes as well as retirees of the defunct or privatised agencies yet to be privatised would be covered.
They include the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria, Nigeria Aviation Handling Company, Assurance Bank and Nigeria National Shipping Line.
The exercise, which began on May 20 and expected to be rounded off on June 1, would cover Benin City, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Calabar centres.
Ikeazor said that three of the four departments in PTAD had so far been covered.
The PTAD also concluded verification exercise for pensioners from the Nigerian Custom Service, the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Prison Service under the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Department.
Ikeazor said: “There are four departments in PTAD; we have concluded verification exercise for three of the departments.
“We have concluded the Civil Service Pension Department and the Police Pension Department.
“We have also concluded verification exercise for the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Prison Service. Now, we are doing Parastatals’ Pension department.”
Also speaking, the Director, Parastatals Pension Department, Suleiman Sheleng, said under the DBS, pensioners from 274 agencies would be verified.
Sheleng said: “It is very obvious that all the processes have been simplified. They have been made pensioners’ friendly. All the non-value adding processes have been removed.
“We have got a very simple process considering that we are verifying parastatals pensioners from 274 agencies who have different salary structures, different conditions of service.
“So, what we have done is to consolidate all these into one process so that we can avoid repeated visits to the city.
“We want to take it sector-by-sector. Probably, it will go one for another two years until we finish.
“Under this current arrangement, we will be done by October this year. We would have gone round this country.
“We started in April in Lagos and now, we are in the South-South. The next one will be South-West, South-East, North-East, North-West and we end up with North- Central.”
A retired officer of the defunct Nigeria National Shipping Line, Robinson Egbor, who spoke with journalists at the Port Harcourt centre, lauded PTAD for organising a hitch-free verification exercise.
Egbor said: “When it is good, Nigerians should acknowledge that. When it is bad, we should not be afraid to say so.
“I have been here since Monday to assist our people who came from outside Port Harcourt. It has been wonderful. I have not seen verification where people did not collapse.
“Elderly people are not being held because they are feeble. Here, everything is working. There is no cutting corners. You stay on the queue and you are served.”
Trending
- 2024 UTME: Parents obey JAMB order to steer clear CBT centres
- 2024 UTME: Stop patronising fraudsters, JAMB warns candidates
- Pastor seeks divorce over alleged domestic violence
- Bobrisky, Cubana Chief Priest and Indabosky Bahose, by Tunde Odesola
- BUA driver crushes six to death, injures 30
- Court dismisses money laundering charge against ex-AGF
- Six injured as truck overturns in Lagos + Photo
- Alleged N80.2b fraud: IG withdraws policemen attached to Yahaya Bello