NAN-HE-12
Pensioners
Uyo, Feb. 8, 2017 (NAN) The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) on Wednesday said the pensioners verification in Akwa Ibom would capture a total of 10,000 retirees.
PTAD Executive Secretary Sharon Ikeazor, disclosed this in Uyo at an interactive forum with newsmen after monitoring the exercise.
Ikeazor, who interacted with the pensioners, said that the verification was done in collaboration with the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP).
She said that the exercise was smooth and free of hitches in Akwa Ibom, adding, “we are treating the pensioners with utmost courtesy and providing them with refreshment.”
Justifying the exercise, the executive secretary said that PTAD did not inherit any credible database of pensioners in the country.
“There had been series of complaints and mismanagement of pensioners’ fund, we do not know the number of pensioners that we have.
“We want to have a credible database of all pensioners in the country,” she said.
Ikeazor said that the exercise billed to last for nine days would capture pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) from the federal and the states with federal share.
She said that federal pensioners had been paid their January pensions, explaining that those complaining were mostly pensioners from the state.
Also commenting on the exercise, the National President of Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Dr Abel Afolayan, said that PTAD was the best thing that had ever happened to pensioners.
“We are satisfied with what PTAD is doing, we sincerely appreciate them.
“Earlier verifications were mishandled and there was no database of pensioners in the country,” he said.
Afolayan explained that retirees in the local government areas and those from the parastatal groups in the state were not among the pensioners verified.
He said that pensioners, who had worked before March 31, 1976 and retired in the state were those categorised as having federal share of pension.
He gave the assurance that after the verification by PTAD, pensioners would get their entitlements smoothly. (NAN)
BB/ GY
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Edited by Grace Yussuf