PTAD to verify sick pensioners at home, hospitals

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate said it would conduct verification and biometric data capture of sick pensioners in hospitals and

their homes.

Balewa Ndayako, the Deputy Director, PTAD, made the disclosure on Wednesday in Jos, Plateau State at the ongoing verification of federal civil service pensioners in Plateau.

Ndayako said: “What such category of persons need to do is to send their documents to us and if we verify its genuineness, we will send our mobile team to the places to capture them.”

Ndayako added that the whole exercise was aimed at creating accurate and credible database of pensioners under the Defined database Scheme.

He explained that 2,500 pensioners were expected to be verified in the exercise.

The deputy director said the one-week verification, which started on Monday, was unique and arranged in such a way that it would be easy for retirees.

He said: “The verification centres are easily accessible, orderly and comfortable and the process can be concluded within one hour.”

According to him, staff of Red Cross Society are on ground to assist the weak and disabled and an ambulance is also available to take care of any health challenge.

He said that during the verification, documents of retirees would be checked and their biometric data captured and their pictures taken.

The documents, he added, would be scanned and saved in the data where it could be retrieved with the press of a button.

Ndayako noted that on completion of the exercise, pensioners would be given printout that contained the code where their data could be accessed.

He said: “This verification might be last for pensioners as PTAD would have the data that could be accessed anytime there was need for it.

“The complaints of pensioners would now be addressed and payment of outstanding pensions effected on completion of the exercise.”

Joseph Kohol, who retired from Jos Steel Rolling Company, commended PTAD for arrangements for the exercise, saying it was moving on smoothly.

Kohol said those who came in were promptly attended to and those who might not be attended to were asked to come the following day to avoid frustration.