Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt
The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has said it has concluded verification exercise for pensioners from the Civil Service Pension Department (CSPD) and the Police Pension Department (PPD).
It said it has also concluded the verification exercise for pensioners from the Nigerian Customs Service, the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Prison Service, under the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Department (CIPD).
The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor, spoke Wednesday in Port Harcourt, during an interactive session with pensioners to kickstart the second phase of verification exercise for Parastatals’ Pensioners for South-South zone, under the Defined Benefit Scheme.
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.”
Speaking to newsmen, the Director, Parastatals Pension Department, Mr. Suleiman Sheleng, said under the Defined Benefit Scheme, parastatal pensioners from 274 agencies will 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.”
Speaking to newsmen also, a retired officer of the defunct Nigeria National Shipping Line (NNSL), Robinson Egbor, lauded PTAD for organizing 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.”
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