16th October, 2017
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in Oyo State has commended the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) for putting mechanisms in place to produce a credible database for pensioners.
The union’s Vice-Chairman, Chief Abolade Isiaq, gave the commendation while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on the sidelines of a three-day verification exercise for pensioners on Monday.
He said that the ongoing verification exercise conducted by PTAD had been the best so far.
“We have never had it so good. As you can see, everything on ground is so well arranged.
“ They have provided us with all that will make us comfortable.
“We are pleased with the organisation of the exercise and we sincerely hope that this will be sustained,” the official said.
Also speaking, Mrs Olajumoke Williams, a 90-year-old pensioner, said that the exercise was the first ever to be conducted in an orderly manner.
Williams, who retired from the Federal Ministry of Health, said she was satisfied with the exercise.
“I do not know if this is how it is in the other centres, but my experience here has been so great,” she said.
Similarly, an 85-year-old pensioner, who preferred anonymity, lauded PTAD for the smooth conduct of the exercise.
“When I first came here, I thought I would be here till midnight, but as it is going on now, I know I will be out of here very soon,” he said.
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Meanwhile, an official of the directorate, who did not want his name in print, said that the objective of the exercise was to build a credible and digitalised database of pensioners.
“We have 47 officials available to attend to about 2, 600 pensioners expected at the three centres in Ibadan.
“The pensioners comprise of federal civil servants and state civil servants with federal share,” said the official.
He explained that the pensioners were those who retired before June 30, 2007, under the Defined Benefit Scheme, adding that a similar verification exercise had been conducted in Ekiti, Ondo and Osun States.
According to the official, the exercise had been conducted for military pensioners as well as those who retired from the police force, paramilitary outfits and civil servants in core ministries.
He said that the verification exercise would subsequently be conducted for pensioners in parastatal agencies.
NAN also reports that an ambulance was on standby in case of an emergency.