TPTAD committed to providing world class pension services – EShe Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate has reiterated its commitment to providing world class pension services to pensioners in the country.
The Executive Secretary, PTAD, Sharon Ikeazor, stated this on Friday during the inauguration of the directorate’s zonal office in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
Ikeazor, while commending the present administration for giving PTAD the priority to address the concerns of pensioners, said PTAD had received magnanimous support, both finacially and otherwise, from the Buhari-led administration since its inception.
We have synergised to ensure things are made easier for our pensioners in the regularity of their monthly penson payment
Ikeazor added that the inauguration of the Yola office, “is a symbol of hope to bring our services closer to pensioners as all pensioners can be verified in this office without travelling to our headquarters in Abuja.”
Speaking during the Directorate’s 2019 Stakeholders Forum in Yola, she said, “This is the first time the directorate is holding an engagement such as this in the North East.
“We have synergised to ensure things are made easier for our pensioners in the regularity of their monthly penson payment or the provision of more welfare oriented services or the prompt computation and payment of their entitlement after verification,” she stated.
The Executive Secretary revealed, “Through its continuous drive to serve its esteemed pensioners, the directorate saved the Federal Government of Nigeria a total sum of N4,999,494,595.44 per annum from the payroll clean-up as a result of the Civil Service Verification exercise.
According to Ikeazor, the directorate verified over 496 War Affected Police Officers of the Nigerian civil war and paid a total sum of N917,656.891.39 to 432 pensioners.
She said PTAD recently added a total of 15,162 pensioners of Nigeria-Reinsurance; NICON Insurance; Delta Steel Company; NITEL/MTEL; Nigeria Defence Academy -Civilians; Federal Housing Authority and New Nigeria Newspaper, making a total monthly sum of N840,003,651.07.
She called for the prioritisation of payment to pensioners, pointing out that the “directorate has made it a priority to ensure pension payment is made before salary payment to civil servants henceforth.”
The executive secretary, however, vowed to ensure that pensioners across the nation were well treated and served with empathy and respect.
Governor Mohammed Jibrila of Adamawa State promised to partner with NTAP in all ramifications to ensure that the suffering and pains of the pensioners were reduced to the barest minimum.
Mohammed Umar, who represented the Acting Director-General, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Aisha Dahir Umar, assured the Executive Secretary of NTAP of adequate funding of the directorate by government to enable it to meet the
target.
Also speaking, the representative of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment, Sen. Ali Ndume, promised to do the needful to assist the pensioners, promising that the welfare of the pensioners would not be compromised.
In his goodwill message, the President of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Dr Abel Afolayan, represented by Actor Zal, called on state governments to accord respect to pensioners as senior citizens of their various states and urged the pensioners to also reciprocate the
gesture.
EMMANUEL SAMUEL
