The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) says staggering “I am Alive Confirmation Solution” for pensioners’ verification is to avoid network failure.
Dr Chioma Ejikeme, Executive Secretary, PTAD, gave the explanation at the South-East Stakeholders Engagement Forum on Thursday in Awka.
Ejikeme said the agency came up with the “I Am Alive Confirmation Solution”, to transit from manual to automated system of verification.
According to her, for efficient and effective delivery, and prevention a heavy flow of traffic on the website, PTAD has staggered the use of the Confirmation Solution as follows.
“Police Pensioners (April 14 to October 13, 2023), Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pensioners (June 1 to December 31), Civil Service Pensioners ( July 1 to January 31, 2024) and Parastatals Pensioners; August 1 to February 28, 2024”, she said.
She urged pensioners to kindly take note of the scheduled dates as they concern their respective departments.
The event was attended by pensioners and Stakeholders from the five South-East geo-political zone of Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Anambra.
Ejikeme, who reviewed the activities of the agency since she took over four years ago, said PTAD had achieved a lot in 10 years of its establishment.
“No pensioner who is alive should be left out of this very critical and important exercise that would determine a pensioner’s eligibility to continue to receive pension.
“Our resolve is to ensure that no eligible pensioner is left out. PTAD wishes to inform all our pensioners in the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom, that a survey is being carried out by the Directorate to ascertain the number of pensioners in those countries,” she said.
She advised pensioners living in those countries to visit the PTAD website and take part in the survey, saying “they should log on to our website – www.ptad.gov.ng to access the link for the survey”.
Chief Godwin Abumisi, President, Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), commended the transformational leadership of PTAD, saying that pensioners are better treated now than before.
Abumisi particularly praised the “I Am Alive Confirmation Solution” initiative by PTAD, noting that the policy has reduced sufferings by pensioners.
Mrs Nneka Obiamulu, a director in the agency, said there was a lot of mistrust and aggression in the way pensioners related with pension managers, but said that much has improved.
She noted that the huge debt owed pensioners due to challenges in the verification and profiling of pensioners before the establishment of the agency have been resolved.
“We have visited more than 800 pensioners who are incapacitated in their homes and hospitals and our plans is to continue to improve,” she said.
