The federal government has allayed concerns and fears raised on omitted and missing names in the ongoing verification exercise of the ex-staff of the liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) saying their concerns will be address.
Consequently, the federal government has created help desks across the three centres where verifications are being done to attend to those concerns.
A statement from Paul Ella Abechi, the Special Adviser, (Media & Communications), to the Minister of Finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed said the minister gave the directive after inspecting the verification exercise in Kano, Enugu and Lagos.
The Minister of Finance the minister also promised that the account of those verified will be credited with their entitlements this week, adding that the exercise, which was meant to end on Monday, October 22, has been extended by one week to attend to all qualified beneficiaries.
She said the verification exercise and payment of all entitlements of the pensioners was based on the recent directives and approval of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The statement noted that the Minister was represented at the inspection by the head of the federal government delegation on inspection tour of the various centres and secretary, Presidential initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), Dr Mohammed K. Dikwa.
“Adequate measures have been put in place to address some challenges being encountered since the exercise started last week Monday, fast track the process and get every pensioner properly verified” the statement quoted the minister to have said.
The minister appealed to the pensioners to be patient and remain orderly, adding, after the verification exercise, 50 percent payment of entitlements will be made in this first tranche by next week.
The minister stressed that the process which is being supervised by officials of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was to make the exercise transparent and credible. Also the biometric capturing of all verified pensioners will address cases of duplicity and ensure seamless payment of the remaining 50 percent entitlements of the ex-workers.
For those who are deceased and missing documents, the minister said that separate desks have also been created in the three centres, in Kano, Enugu and Lagos, to ensure they are verified to enable them receive their entitlements.