PTAD launches I am alive, for pensioners verification in Gombe
Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), has launched a web solution to verify the ‘aliveness’ of retirees in the North East.
According to the Executive Secretary of PTAD, Dr. Chioma Ejikeme this was geared towards ensuring practical convenience for retirees in the region.
Speaking on Wednesday, shortly after the launch in Gombe at a stakeholders’ forum with the theme; ‘Pensioners Welfare is our priority’, Ejikeme said verification would help the Directorate ascertain the state of retirees.
She revealed that pensioners would be able to utilise smart phones, computers without necessarily travelling long distances, which she confirmed as expensive and unsafe.
Ejikeme said, “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.”
Commenting on the safety of the web solution verification process, the PTAD boss, confirmed it as very safe without requirement for Bank Verification Number (BVN), stressing that the needed information are non sensitive to the pensioner.
“Not all of them have smart phones but it is difficult to enter any neighbourhood and not see any champion who has a smart phone or who is a computer literate it is literally impossible.
“The one champion can help pensioners confirm their aliveness using the app. It can be done from the comfort of the home using a trusted person. That is why there are certain information we don’t require for your security and that is why we are stressing that PTAD does not want your BVN for that confirmation,” Ejikeme added.
Earlier, A pensioner, Mercy Dabiri, lauded the efforts of the Federal Government in making the process seamless for her and her colleagues.
“I’m a pensioner from Jos University Teaching Hospital, 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.
