Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has announced the commencement schedule of ‘I am Alive Confirmation’ solution for pensioners under the defined benefit scheme in the Southeast geopolitical zone.
News Echo reports that the ‘I AM ALIVE’ Confirmation solution has so far confirmed 50,553 ALIVE and has provided a six month grace period for [arastastals to complete their “I Am ALIVE” confirmation solution.
The event which was held during a two days Southeast stakeholder’s engagement forum at Awka, between 13th and 14th of July was targeted interacting pensioners and confirming them under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), a web based application designed to confirm the aliveness of pensioners.
Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, Dr Chioma Ejikeme, in her welcome speech said meeting was to interact with pensioners, keeping them on updated activities and future plans as well as receive feedbacks from them.
According to Dr Ejikeme, “PTAD’s administration to change the narrative as far as Pension administration under the DBS in Nigeria as concerned is irrevocable. It is pertinent to note that PTAD has intentionally and consistently been working to achieve a positive and sustainable change in the DBS management for almost ten years of its operation”.
Identifying DBS past years fraught which was marred by fraud, corruption and inefficiencies, Dr Ejikeme noted that the processes and controls put in place by the PTAD have immensely contributed to the change witnessed today.
“Our journey from field verification, mobile verification, to putting together a solid database of pensioners, benefit computation, ensuring regular payment of pensions and paying long overdue pension Arrears to pensioners, have been a progressive one filled with creativity, dedication, commitment, persistence and resulting in milestone achievement”.
She however explained that PTAD is currently carrying out the re-computation of exercise on thousands of files in the parastastal’s Pension Department, with a view to resolving their deluge of complaints.
While urging pensioners to disregard any information asking them to pay money to be able to access their entitlement as no staff will call or message you about such. Dr. Sunny Osuagwu ,who spoke on presentation on life after Retirement noted that as a pensioner who wants to live a fulfilled live, one should know how to manage his or her money, never allow your liability to be above your asset, keep track of your budget, Reduce indebtedness and always invest your money during retirement.
However, some of the pensioners, Mr Okechukwu Okoye, Mr Emmanuel Udeh, who spoke to our correspondent expressed happiness over the development where thanking the PTAD and federal government for this initiatives. Others who spoke at the event were, Director Pension Support Service Department (PSSD), Mrs Nneka Obiamalu, Civil Service Pension Department (CSPD) Mr. Shelleng Suleiman, Head Monitoring and Communication, Madam Ada Phill Ugochukwu while, Custom, Immigration and Prisons Pension Department (CIPPD), Mr Abdullah Abubakar took the question and answer session. Meanwhile, start dates as scheduled by PTAD under the Defined Benefit Scheme for pensioners includes Police Pensions start from 14th April 2023 to 13th October 2023, Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pensioners start from 1st June 2023 to 31st December 2023, (iii) Civil Service Pensioners start from 1st July 2023 to 31st January 2024 and (iv) Parastastals Pensioners (Universities, Health, Research Institutes, etc), start from the Ist of August 2023 to 28th, February, 2024, respectively.