One of the major challenges that have bedeviled the Defined Benefit Pension Scheme (DBS) is the long hours pensioners spend on queue for verification in order to continue receiving their monthly pensions.
This is further associated by the risk involved in travelling from one location to another by pensioners to participate in the verifications conducted by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD).
However, succour may have come the way of pensioners as the federal government, through the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) recently introduced the I Am confirmation platform where pensioners can verify their aliveness within the comfort of their homes.
Checks by Daily Trust on Sunday show that the platform, which was launched by the directorate targets pensioners at both urban and rural areas and ease the stress of traveling from one location to another with the use of a smart phone or a computer device.
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How I Am Alive confirmation solution works
A visit to the website of the directorate shows that a pensioner must visit website of the commission using a smart phone/computer system, to click on the “I Am Alive” icon at the top of the page and follow the instructions.
Subsequently, the pensioner is required to enter his or her number, as well as bank account number accompanied with a photograph.
The pensioner is also required to perform the aliveness check by moving his/her face to follow the moving object on the screen. When the aliveness check is completed, confirmation page will display. The pensioner will also receive an SMS notification of the successful completion of the process.
Pensioners can also verify their aliveness using the fingerprint confirmation alternative.
Why PTAD introduced the I Am Alive confirmation solution – ES
The executive secretary of the PTAD, Dr Chioma Ejikeme, at the unveiling of the platform at the agency’s headquarters, said the internet-based aliveness verification platform was designed to eradicate the stress and suffering many DBS pensioners went through in the past during the process of verifying their aliveness.
Daily Trust on Sunday had reported that the PTAD in the past carried out aliveness verification exercises for DBS pensioners by going to the six geo-political zones of Nigeria and pensioners involved are to present themselves for verification in their zones, which was always a cumbersome task and capital intensive.
She said the platform was PTAD’s vision to largely end the sufferings associated with the zone to zone gathering of senior citizens in the name verification exercises is now a thing of the past, according to the directorate’s executive secretary.
In this respect, PTAD’s executive secretary said, “To ensure an efficient and effective delivery, the availability of the confirmation programme has been staggered according to departments as follows: police pensioners – April 14 to October 13, 2023; Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pensioners – June 1 to December 31, 2023; civil service pensioners – July 1 to January 31, 2024; parastatals pensioners – August 1 to February 28, 2024.
She noted that the directorate’s communication channels are open to give assistance to any pensioner who may experience difficulties in carrying out the online exercise, while adding that awareness campaigns are to ensure that pensioners receive adequate information about the ‘I Am Alive’ Confirmation solution platform.
Benefits
Speaking on the benefits of the platform, the executive secretary noted that funding of pensions will be accurately estimated as deceased pensioners are immediately removed from the payroll; funding for field verification will be completely eliminated.
She further stated that pensioners were no longer required to travel long distances with the attendant stress and inconvenience to attend verification exercises; the result of the ‘I Am Alive’ Confirmation (IAAC) solution is received via SMS to the phone of the pensioner.”
She said the platform would ascertain eligible pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme, enroll eligible pensioners who were hitherto not on the directorate’s payroll, while promptly removing the unqualified.
“Continuing with periodic field verifications to ascertain the aliveness of our pensioners is not only expensive, both for the pensioners and government but is also a stressful exercise for our senior citizens.
Looking for a solution that would eliminate field verifications became imperative and gave birth to the ‘I Am Alive’ Confirmation (IAAC) solution,” Dr. Ejikeme further stated.
This explainer was produced in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).
