Executive Secretary of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Mrs Sharon Ikeazor, said on Friday that the on-going verification was aimed at sanitizing the database of pensioners under the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS).
Addressing newsmen in Bauchi, she said the exercise was very important, particularly in the North East geopolitical zone that experienced instability, resulting in some pensioners missing their documents.
She said that in cases where pensioners have missing documents, PTAD had made available buses at the verification centers that would convey them to courts to secure sworn affidavits
“The ongoing verification is meant for federal civil servants and those enjoying both state and federal shares.
“The choice of North East this time around is to complements the efforts of the Federal Government
in rebuilding the zone; PTAD chose to conduct this exercise to enable the pensioners get their entitlements as at when due.
“By January next year, we will conduct the exercise in Borno and Yobe states that had been stood-down in the current verification.
“This round of the exercise is taking place in only four out of the six states of the North East geopolitical zone, namely Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa and Taraba,’’ she said.
Ikeazor said that after the exercise, all data collected would be treated accordingly and it would further undergo some auditing from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and the Auditor General as well.
The Secretary said that as part of efforts to ensure transparency in handling pension matters, her Directorate inaugurated an Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU).
According to her the unit is collaborating with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Crimes (ICPC) to ensure that any staff found engaging in unwholesome act, is penalized
She therefore advised pensioners to report any PTAD staff that requested for gratification before assisting them.(NAN)