The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has commenced verification of about 24,00 Federal Civil Service pensioners in Kogi as part of efforts to address various issues surrounding pension administration in the country.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who monitored the conduct on Wednesday in Lokoja, gathered that the exercise was taking place in Kwara, Benue, Plateau and Kogi states simultaneously.
According to a highly reliable source which craved anonymity, the exercise which commenced on Monday, is expected to verify the status of about 24,000 pensioners.
The source revealed that the week-long exercise, which is in three stages, entailed review of the pensioners’ documents; Biometric capturing and digitization of employment records as well as Quality Assurance and issuance of a slip to each verified pensioner.
The exercise, according to the source, is aimed at creating accurate and credible database of pensioners that retired on or before June 2007 and have not transited to the contributory pension scheme.
He added that the verification would also help in the elimination of duplicate payments and non-eligible pensioners from the payroll as well as regularisation of anomalies such as over payment and underpayments.
He described over payment as one of the major challenges discovered so far, adding that the exercise had maintained a human face as the feeble and the sick were given special treatment with express service.
Mobile service is being extended to sick pensioners who could not make it to the venue as the officials move equipment to their homes to capture their data.
A pensioner and former Secretary to Kogi State Government (SSG), Chief Andrew Aileku who is also a federal pensioner, commended the PTAD officials for the orderly and peaceful conduct of the exercise.
Another pensioner, a retired Permanent Secretary, Mr Benjamin Ipinyomi, lauded the peaceful and orderly conduct of the exercise and urged the Federal Government to ensure all verified pensioners continued to enjoy their pensions promptly.