The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) on Monday commenced the 6th phase of parastatals verification exercise for federal government pensioners from Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
The exercise would cover retirees of 270 agencies including federal universities, polytechnics, Colleges of Education, teaching hospitals, medical centres, Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Nigeria Railway Corporation, Nigeria Postal services as well a Research institute and other treasury funded parastatals agencies and institutes, a PTAD official who crave anonymity disclosed.
Speaking at the venue of the verification exercise in Sokoto, she added that it would also cover retirees of defunct/privatised agencies who were yet to be verified .
They include Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON), Nigeria Aviation Holding Company (NAHCO), Assurance Bank and Nigeria National Shipping Line (NNSL).
“The exercise is to enable PTAD to have a comprehensive, accurate and reliable database for pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS),” she stated.
“Database will be used to address some irregularities in the system, including ghost worker syndrome, duplicate payments, over and under payments among other needs.”
One of the pensioners, Garba Abdurrahman, who lauded PTAD’s handling of pension funds, said he spent less than 10 minutes to complete the screening.
“Before the emergence of PTAD, the challenges pensioners face was payment of pensions on time. PTAD have been doing its best and has been paying without delay. I hope it continues with the tempo,’’ Abdurrahman who retired from defunct PHCN, stated.
