The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has disclosed that 10,357 pensioners in federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been verified under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) in the ongoing Fifth Phase of the Parastatals Pensioners’ verification exercise in the South Eastern part of the country.
The exercise, which commenced on Monday August 26 across four centers in Awka, Enugu with two centres and Owerri, followed the approval by the agency’s management for a six-day extension of the exercise in Owerri centre and a four-day extension for Enugu centre due to large turnout of pensioners.
The Directorate’s Executive Secretary, Dr Chioma Ejikeme, stated that the extension of the verification exercise was to ensure that all eligible pensioners and next of kin of deceased pensioners are verified.
However, under the ongoing exercise, pensioners in Nigeria Customs Service, Immigration and Prisons Services, Civil Service, Police and those of MDAs verified early will not participate.
According to the PTAD management, the next phase of the pensioners’ exercise would be conducted in the North West region effective from today (September 23) and concluded on October 2, 2019.
The PTAD advised pensioners not to take risk of travelling to the state or location they retired from for the verification exercise since they can be verified at any of the PTAD centres within the geo-political zones where they are residing currently.
This is even as the agency PTAD assured pensioners living outside the country that they would be verified whenever they visit the country, provided they show proof of residency outside Nigeria.
It noted further that all Letters of Introduction for new enrollees, that is those not currently on payroll, must be signed personally by the Executive Secretary of the agency, to be acceptable for verification.
In addition, it said that continuous mobile verification would be conducted for sick and infirm pensioners but that original documents of the pensioners must be brought to the verification centres together with proof of infirmity for authentication, before their mobile verification can be scheduled.
