Those affected by this, according to the DG included, retired federal civil servants, police, immigrations, prisons and other para-military agencies.
Consequently, the Director-General who spoke at a one-day sensitisation workshop for pensioners drawn from the North-West geo-political zone of the country, said the directorate would soon embark on verification exercise of pensioners to ascertain the number of pensioners in the country.
She said those to be verified by the directorate included retired federal civil servants, police, immigrations, prisons and other para-military personnel, excluding retired members of the Armed Forces and the Department of State Security that had their own pension management scheme.
She lamented that lack of accurate and verifiable database remained one of the major obstacles against the smooth management of pension in Nigeria, and to address the problem, there was need for verification of pensioners who had served the country.
According to the DG, the absence of proper record of pensioners in Nigeria has been largely responsible for the plights of retirees who often find it difficult to access their funds after retirement, adding that the exercise will ascertain the accurate number of pensioners and their liabilities across the country.
She disclosed that the federal government owed pensioners arrears which could only be settled at the end of the verification exercise.
She said, "The main objective of this meeting is to provide an interactive platform for effective discussion and exchange of ideas on the role and mandate of the directorate and the plights of pensioners.
"Participants here are pensioners who are primary stakeholders in the entire value chain, the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, sector unions in parastatals as well as under writers and brokers .
"The expected result of the Verification Exercise will include the establishment of a comprehensive, authentic and credible database of pensioners.
"It will also ensure effective planning and management of pensions; elimination of ghost pensioners; elimination of duplication of payments; correction and eradication of anomalies such as overpayments and short payments."
The DG also said the new body had zero tolerance for corruption and urged pensioners to promptly report any case of fraud to the agency, saying that over the years, pension administration in the country had become an issue of grave national concern.
She noted that gone were the days when misappropriation of funds belonging to pensioners by the handlers was the order of the day, adding that with the coming on board of PTAD, all outstanding issues relating to management of pensioners would be addressed.
PUNCH
