Category: Pension

• Reassures on welfare

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has explained the few days delay in monthly pension payment that barely occurs to pensioners.

The Executive Secretary, Tolulope Odunaiya stated that pension payments are remitted through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directly into individual accounts of pensioners.

She, however, said that the Directorate has finalised August payment.

She stressed that it has no control over the payments but reassured that the payments are taken as a priority by the Federal Government.

Odunaiya further reiterated the Directorate’s commitment to pensioners’ welfare.

She said various initiatives have been introduced, noting that they are aimed at managing pension benefits for Federal Government’s retirees under the old Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), who did not transit to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

She said: “The Directorate was established to handle pensions of those who did not move to the CPS, noting that PTAD ensures that eligible pensioners receive their pensions promptly and accurately.

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“Since establishment of PTAD in 2013, and up till this moment, PTAD has never failed to pay pensions every month. That is why we have been able to take pensioners out of the streets. That is one of the credibility the government is enjoying because nobody is diverting money meant for payment of pensions anymore.

“The Directorate has continued to introduce various initiatives to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness, some of which are Field Verification, I Am Alive Confirmation, and Mobile Verification. As we progressed, we discovered that we shouldn’t be calling our fathers and mothers, especially those from a far distance to come and do verification in Lagos and a technology was introduced. We call that technology ‘I Am Alive’ Confirmation”.

She continued: “Once you are still alive, you are entitled to your pension. I Am Alive enables pensioners to confirm their status even in their home at every location. This is done through an internet-enabled phone and anybody can help you do it. Once you confirm your status, in the next six month, your pension will continue to run. “We have introduced Mobile Verification for people who are sick, or those who are alive but are incapacitated to attend normal verification. We schedule mobile confirmation for those who have done I Am Alive verification but later falls sick.’’

The PTAD ES further said PTAD is a Federal Government’s treasury funded agency with no commercial bank account, adding that their responsibility is to prepare schedules of pension payment.

“PTAD doesn’t have any account in any commercial bank; so, we don’t keep any money because we are a treasury-funded agency. Pensions are paid by the Central Bank and are paid directly into pensioners’ accounts. Our duty is to prepare the schedules of payment and it will pass through various tables, including Federal auditors, Internal auditors, Accountant-General Office. So, it is not something that somebody will just wake up and say PTAD has money somewhere,” he explained.

She said PTAD is ensuring that nobody tampers with pensioners’ money. PTAD offices are in 13 states.

ANONYMOUS: Good day, I have just seen this advert in an old newspaper of September 18, 2024 which advised any person with pension complaint to send message to a particular number. I hope it is not too late for me. My husband retired as a Deputy Director of Abia Education Services since 1997.  He was receiving federal pension until several months ago. What can we do for him to get it resumed?

PTAD: Dear Ma, please inform your husband to forward his verification slip to complaints@ptad.gov.ng to enable us to deal with the situation. Thank you.

AHMED: Dear Omobola, my name is Ahmed. I retired from NIWA in 2007, my complaints are that I haven’t received any of the arrears paid to some of the pensioners ranging from the 24 per cent and the N32,000 arrears. I was told my name fell on the second bag since August, 2024. Kindly help me.

PTAD: Dear Mr. Ahmed, please send your verification slip to our email complaints@ptad.gov.ng to enable us to investigate and respond further. Thank you.

ANONYMOUS: Good day, I have been complaining of deduction of N9000 from my pension allowance since September last year. Kindly use your office to rescue me from this situation. l have written several times for correction, all to no avail.

PTAD: Dear PTAD PENSIONER, please send your verification slip to our email complaints@ptad.gov.ng to enable us  investigate and respond further. However, note that PTAD obtained a directive for the re-implementation of the CPA based on grade level in line with the clarification from the NSIWC before implementing the new 20 per cent / 28 per cent increment as applicable. The CPA which was as a result of the minimum wage approval in April 2019 was implemented in May 2021 based on pay-band application with subsequent payment of 24 months arrears covering from April 2019 to April 2021. It is, therefore, instructive to mention that arrears reconciliation arising from the re-implementation of the CPA based on grade level is set aside pending further directive.

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The clarification from the NSIWC which revised the implementation of the CPA to Grade level was taken into cognisance and accordingly implemented on the payroll before the application of the new pension increment of 20-28% as applicable which will take effect from September 2024.

Further to the above, the Executive Secretary gave directive to pay the 20%/ 28% pension increment arrears to only the pensioners whose monthly pension have been correctly computed and implemented as per the August payroll.

In line with the directive of the Executive Secretary, the Department reviewed the August 2024 pension payroll to ascertain that only pensioners who are on their correctly computed monthly pension are paid the 20 – 28% pension increment arrears and thereafter identified and excluded the following categories of pensioners:

• Pensioners on the payroll with inherited monthly pension and whose monthly pension entitlement is yet to be computed to date;

• Pensioners on the payroll with inherited monthly pension but whose monthly pension entitlement have been computed but not yet implemented;

• Pensioners on the payroll with monthly pension figure that appears to be higher than the maximum monthly pension for their Grade Level.

Thank you.