Opening Remarks of Executive Director of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Sharon Ikeazor, at the North Central Zone Stakeholders Forum on 11 April 2019.
As always, I am glad to see a very good turnout of our esteemed pensioners, stakeholders, partners and sister agencies today. To you all I say welcome again and thank you for honoring us with your presence.
2018 was a busy year at PTAD and we daresay a successful one also. Pension payments have been regular and up to date. We concluded the CSPD verification and commenced the verification of the PAPD pensioners, starting with the Defunct Agencies.
We made significant progress on the payment of the long outstanding 33% arrears, which we are hopeful will soon be a thing of the past. We are making payments to Next of Kins (NOKs) of deceased pensioners in the CSPD and the PaPD.
We have brought our services closer to our Pensioners in the North East with an additional state office in Damaturu. Another office in Yola was also commissioned in February 2019.
We are also upgrading the services of some of our state offices like Lagos to Regional Offices Status, to enable them offer the same quality of services available in the Head Office, including carrying out biometric verification.
The FG through PTAD has paid the final tranche of the 33% Pension increment to 130,770 Civil Service Pensioners. We’ve also paid the 33% Pension increase to Nigeria railway pensioners. After PaPD verification the rest of the arrears will be paid to PaPD pensioners.
30,770 CSPD pensioners who had not been on the payroll had their benefits computed and put back on the payroll with their arrears paid.
As at March 2019, an additional 1655 civil Service pensioners have also been computed and put back on the payroll.
14,678 pensioners from various agencies under the PaPD were verified, benefits computed and paid. They include Delta Steel, NITEL/MTEL, FHA, and NDA (Civilian). Savannah Sugar retirees were verified for payment.
Planning has been concluded for the verification of Parastatal Pensioners. Also,we are awaiting approved salary charts of Steel Rolling Mills for the re-computation & payments of benefits & arrears to NOKs of deceased pensioners from the National Salaries, Wages & Income Com.
I wish to thank all our partner banks who have regularly written to notify us of deceased pensioners in their books. Until we implement our “I’m Alive” we will continue to rely on the Banks, The Pension Unions and families of Deceased pensioners.
NOK of deceased pensioners are advised to immediately notify PTAD in the event of death. No benefits will be lost as any pension benefit due will be paid in full to the NOKs.
PTAD has continued to ensure the prompt deduction of 1% check – off dues in favour of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners. The remittance of dues is done only to associations and unions that are registered under the Trade Union Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 (as amended) and are duly recognized by the Nigeria Labour Congress. As such. Only the NUP is recognized for payment of check-off dues under the Third Schedule to the Trade Union Act.
Our 2019 – 2021 future plans are hinged on three strategic priorities:
1. Strengthening PTAD’s institutional framework using technology and a dedicated workforce.
2. To ensure prudent and efficient financial resources management.
3. To achieve and sustain optimal pensioner satisfaction, stakeholder buy-in and collaboration.
Funding to address our obligations to all our pensioners is a recurring challenge. We will continue to forge ahead as we have done in previous years.