Sunny Nwankwo, Umuahia
Abia State government has begun the biometric capturing of pensioners.
Commissioner for Finance Aham Uko, at a news briefing in Umuahia, said the exercise was necessary to check the ghost pensioner syndrome. He maintained that the exercise was also aimed at pruning down the state’s humongous monthly pension bill which stands at N21 billion, and to ensure regular payment.
“The government wants pensioners to be treated with dignity and to enjoy the benefits of their active years in service,” he said.
The facial capturing, fingerprinting and Biometric Verification Number (BVN) confirmation would last for 10 days, Uko said.
He added that genuine pensioners captured during the exercise would receive their pension for March, while others will get theirs as soon as they are captured.
The commissioner said pensioners who traveled outside the state can log on to an approved website and get captured. He added that ambulances would be stationed at the sub-treasuries should there be any health emergency.
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