PTAD Assures Pensioners Prompt Payment, Improvement in Documentation, Computation

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The Executive Secretary of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Dr. Chioma Ejikeme, has assured pensioners that the directorate would do well in ensuring prompt payment of their pensions.

The directorate, which is an arm of the National Pension Commission, stated this at the weekend, during a South-east stakeholders’ engagement forum, which held in Awka Anambra State capital.

Ejikeme, who addressed stakeholders recalled the difficulty in accessing pensions and gratuity by retirees, the haphazard documentation and the wrongful computation of pensions that used to be the order of the days.
She assured that: “PTAD’s determination to change the narrative as far as pension administration under the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS) in Nigeria is concerned is irrevocable.

“We have intentionally and consistently been working on achieving positive and sustainable change in the DBS Pension management for the almost 10 years of our operation.
“You may recall that the Defined Benefit Scheme in the past was fraught with allegations of fraud, corruption and inefficiencies prior to the establishment of the Directorate. “However, the processes and controls that have been put in place since the establishment of PTAD have contributed immensely to the change being witnessed today in the management of the Defined Benefit Pension scheme.”

Ejikeme, listed some of her achievements in office, saying the directorate aims at repositioning matters regarding pension in the country, and make it even more seamless for pensioners to access their hard earned money.

“Our journey from field verifications, mobile verifications, to putting together a solid database of pensioners, benefit computation, ensuring the regular payment of monthly pensions and paying long overdue pension arrears to pensioners, has been a progressive one filled with creativity, dedication, commitment, persistence and resulting in milestone achievements.

“It is not yet a perfect situation, but PTAD is committed to continuing to make giant strides.
“Since our last Stakeholders Forum for the South-East held in Enugu, Enugu State in January 2022, PTAD has carried out a series of activities which include:
“Complete payment of arrears arising as a result of the consequential adjustment to pensions as a result of the increase in minimum wage of April 2019 to the four operational departments in the Directorate.

“Complete liquidation of the 126 months outstanding liabilities due to ex-workers of Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation, complete payment of the 219 months of inherited liabilities to Ex-workers of New Nigeria Newspaper Limited, complete payment of the 100 months of inherited liabilities to Ex-workers of NICON Insurance, complete payment of the 96 months of inherited liabilities to Ex-workers of Delta Steel Company (DSC), among many others.”

She added that PTAD had also commissioned a mechanised filing system, put in place to safely store pensioners’ physical verification and departmental files. She said securing and archiving the documents would make it faster and easier to recall pensioners’ files to reconcile and resolve complaints.

The meeting was attended by various stakeholders, including pensioners, who attested to the ease of accessing their pensions and gratuity, after retirement.