PTAD boss advises retirees’ on protest, as directorate commences web solution verification
Protesting retirees especially those from police have been advised to be patient with the contributory pension scheme handled by Pencom.
According to Executive Secretary of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Dr. Chioma Ejikeme, perceived challenges may be as a result of innovations, which may not come without challenges.
Ejikeme made the appeal in Gombe, during an interview with journalists, at the launch of I am alive pilot test, shortly after a stakeholders’ forum with the theme; ‘Pensioners welfare is our priority’ for North East.
Responding to a question on recent protests by police retirees, Ejikeme, said there was need to understand the processes within the contributory scheme.
She said, “The people complaining, as it were the police people, you are talking about are people who haven’t quite understood that the contributory pension scheme is still finding it feet.
“So, they have not quite understood that the contributory pension scheme is the way to go, way forward for pension administration in Nigeria and like anything new is going to take people a little time to quite understand the dynamics. Alot of the reservations are been taken care of by Pencom.”
Speaking further on the importance of the I am alive web solution verification process, she explained that PTAD is empowered to cater for those who were not coopted in the contributory pension scheme.
“PTAD came about as a result of the pension reform of 2004 repealed and re-enacted as pension reform act of 2014. it is supposed to take care of pensioners who did not transit to the contributory pension scheme and those are the pensioners who were already with the treasury funded before the introduction of contributory pension scheme.
“These are the pensioners who retired on or before June of 2007 those are the pensioners we are taking care of. In addition to pensioners who were either disengaged, or retired,” Ejikeme added.
She continued further saying, “The I am alive confirmation solution is the main thing we are here to launch. It is a web based solution to enable a pensioner to be able to verify or confirm his aliveness from the comfort of his home or his neighbourhood.
“This will take away the field verification we have been carrying out over the years which is not only stressful for the pensioner, it is not very safe because alot of them have to travel long distances before they get to our verification centres. It is also expensive both for the pensioner and for government. We are looking at something convenient.”
On her part, Mercy Dabiri, who retired from University of Jos Teaching Hospital lauded the efforts of the Federal Government in making the process less demanding for them.
“I find the process very interesting. Prior to this relatives carried members in a wheel chair travelling long distances especially Abuja for verification, some died, some fell sick. We are saying thank you to PTAD,” Dabiri said.
