The Nation Newspaper

Tag: verification

  • Pensioners’ verification to resume

    The suspended verification of pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) by the Pension Transitional Administration Directorate (PTAD) will begin tomorrow in four centres in the Northeast.

    PTAD’s Executive Secretary Sharon Ikeazor, who spoke in a statement yesterday, said pensioners in Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe States would be covered by the exercise, which ends on December 6.

    The statement said pensioners would be verified in their state capitals, adding that those in Yobe and Borno will be notified on the date and locations for their verification.

    It reads: “Apart from identifying ghost pensioners and putting a stop to fraudulent payments, the exercise has facilitated the restoration of monthly pension payments to genuine pensioners previously removed from the payroll, including those who had never been paid any pension or gratuity, some for over 10 years post-retirement.

    “Complaints received from the Northwest and Southwest are being resolved. We will be reinstating 4,137 pensioners, who were unjustly removed from the payroll even as we continue the civil service verification.

    “The pensioners are expected to come with documents, including original and photocopies of relevant retirement credentials.

    “PTAD is aware of sick and infirm pensioners and they are advised to contact PTAD at the centres to enable the mobile verification team reach their homes/hospitals for biometrics or visit our website.”

  • Membership verification threatens NSE’s ownership change

    Membership verification threatens NSE’s ownership change

    A simmering disagreement between the council and management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and majority of its members over the accurate list of its members is threatening the implementation of the change in the ownership structure of Nigeria’s only stock exchange.

    The NSE started the conversion from a member-owned limited by guarantee to a share-based company limited by liability, which shares can be listed and traded on the stock market, in a process known as demutualisation.

    Reliable sources at the weekend confirmed that the a disagreement between NSE management and stockbroking chiefs, who formed the largest group of its members, was at the core of the decision to step down two vital resolutions that would have kick-started the demutualisation four weeks ago.

    The disagreement, according to sources, centred on two vital issues – the accurate list of members of the NSE and the sharing ratios between the two distinctive groups of members.

    Member-owners of the Exchange consists of dealing firms – mainly stockbroking firms that trade on the Exchange and ordinary members-influential individuals that make significant contributions to the growth of the Exchange, who were conferred with membership because of such contribution.

    While the list of dealing members is not in contention because of the traditions of registration of stockbroking firms and membership of other confirmatory groups, such as the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) and the Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), the list of ordinary members is at the core of the controversy threatening the conversion.

    Sources said stockbroking chiefs had raised alarms over the secrecy surrounding the list of ordinary members, alleging that there were concerns that the list of ordinary members has grown since the demutualisation gathered momentum.

    A 2009 membership list published by the then management of the Exchange showed that ordinary members were less than a quarter of the total members of the Exchange. Out of a total membership of 327, some 79 were ordinary members.

    Sources said there were allegations that the list of ordinary members had more than doubled, allegations that were further fueled by the refusal of the management of the Exchange to tender the full list of ordinary members for scrutiny by the stockbroking chiefs.

  • NLC cautions Kano on workers’ verification

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Kano State has urged the state government to re-examine the list of ghost workers detected during its ongoing workers’ verification.

    Its Chairman in the state, Malam Kabiru Minjibir, made the call at a briefing in Kano.

    He said there was a need for the government to take cognisance of the fact that some workers were on training outside the country.

    “Also, some pensioners are not residing in the country after their service, yet they are pensioners in the state. We also identified some mix-up in the data provided by some government organs as part of their staff lists.

    “It will interest you to know that my humble self, the number one labour leader in the state after duly being captured in my area of assignment on March 18, was among the 7, 629 staff who did not appear for the exercise,” he said.

    According to Minjibir, many staff in active service, including directors, had been identified in the lists as those who have not been captured.

    He said the union in the state would not take it lightly if any of its genuine workers or pensioners was deleted from government’s payroll.

  • Verification: Kwara discovers 10 with fake documents

    Verification: Kwara discovers 10 with fake documents

    •Police parade four for forgery

    Kwara State government said yesterday that 10 workers, suspected to be in possession of fake documents, were arrested by security agencies during verification.

    It added that the schools the suspects claimed to have attended are in the state.

    Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed on Media and Communications Dr. Muyideen Akorede told reporters in Ilorin that “security agencies are investigating them. If culpable, they will be disciplined. If they are found to have committed any offence, they will be punished. The verification has just been done in one local government and we caught people suspected to have fake documents.

    “By the time we do it in the remaining 15 councils, the civil service and MDAs, we may discover more cases. Any worker or pensioner either not qualified to be receiving salary/pension or does not have the required documents is advised to stay away from the verification.

    “There have been calls that the payroll is bloated and suspicion that we have ghost workers. The governor set up a committee and he chairs it to show the seriousness attached to the matter.”

    Yesterday, the police command paraded four persons for alleged forgery and impersonation.

    They are Hassan Taiwo Abdulwahab, Ajidagba Ibrahim Abdulrasaq, Tajudeen Adebayo and Tajudeen Hussein, aged 32, 38, 47 and 42.

    Police Commissioner Sam Okaula said fake documents of government agencies and parastatals were recovered from the suspects.

    He said: “The syndicate specialises in forging employment letters and letters of posting to government agencies and parastatals, such as the Nigeria Hajj Commission, Nigerian Ports Authority, Kwara State Teaching Service Commission and Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB).”

    “It charges between N40,000 and N70,000 for the state appointments and between N200,000 and N350,000 for federal appointments.”

     

  • Endless verification killing Nigerians

    SIR: The verification exercises being conducted across the country by different agencies is having a great toll on Nigerians.

    The verification by the banks has not been completed only for the National Communications Commission (NCC) to come up with similar directive to Nigerians to go and confirm their SIM cards or have their lines blocked.

    Many Nigerians have had to abandon their businesses to queue up to get their SIM cards registered, wasting in the process, productive man-hours.

    The government should intervene and save the innocent citizens who are made to pass through hardships for no reason of theirs.  There ought to be better ways of conducting the exercise without the attendant disruptions to the day to day activities of citizens.

    The directive by telecoms service providers to disconnect anybody that has not registered his/her SIM card is even more unfortunate considering that most Nigerians have actually done the registration before.

     

    • Bala Nayashi

    Lokoja, Kogi State

  • NIMC to deploy authentication, verification service link to MDAs, banks

    The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) said it has completed plans to deploy the National Identification Number (NIN) authentication and verification service link to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) and banks.

    Its General Manager, Information Technology and Identity Database (IT/IDD), Mr. Chuks Onyepunuka, in an interview, said the deployment was part of the commission’s strategy to ensure the success of the  proposed September commencement of  mandatory use of NIN.

    According to him, all government institutions and agencies that require the biometrics of individuals to offer functional services or for security reasons are required by law to key into the NIMC National Identity Database for the purpose of identity management and verification.

    He noted that NIMC has before now, deployed the authentication and verification service link to the office of one of the security agencies and would soon after extend to other security agencies. The NIMC is now set to deploy a pilot phase to MDAs and banks.

    Mr. Onyepunuka further said NIMC is discussing with the MDAs and banks to enable them ascertain the infrastructure to achieve the deployment of the NIN authentication and verification service link to their various offices nationwide.

    He said: “These institutions include the banks, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Ministry of Aviation, Joint Tax Board (JTB), State House, National Universities Commission (NUC), National Pension Commission (PenCom), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and many others.”

    At a commercial demonstration session held at NIMC headquarters, Mr. Onyepunuka said the verification and authentication of the NIN can be done at two levels: the online, which has two approaches, and the offline platform.

    “The online version has the web portal approach used for NIN verification alone; while the desk top is a robust windows based approach that allows an individual or organisation to conduct the NIN, Fingerprint, demographics and document number verification,” he explained.

    He said that on presentation of the NIN or the fingerprints, the individual or organisation requesting such proof shall utilise the online National Identity Management System (NIMS) NIN verification service through the authentication and verification Clearing House to confirm such identity.

    He added: “For the offline platform, on presentation of the National Electronic Identity Card, the individual or organisation requesting such identity, shall authenticate the identity by conducting a Match on Card (MoC) verification an irrefutable offline confirmation by requesting the person to provide his finger prints on a card reading device to enable the matching of the finger print provided with the finger prints stored in the chip of the National eID Card.”

    He further explained that the individual or organisation requesting such a proof has access rights and privileges to determine what category of verification he is allowed to conduct on the individual and what category of data he is allowed to view.

    He urged Nigerians to take advantage of the over 400 enrolment centres nationwide to enrol for the NIN because no government agency/institution, bank, or insurance company, and others offering services and/or involved in transactions requiring the identity of an individual, will be allowed to conduct such a transaction without first demanding for the NIN.

    “Eligible applicants are urged to utilize the NIMC pre-enrolment portal, https://penrol.nimc.gov.ng, to pre-enrol for the NIN before proceeding to any NIMC enrolment centre closest to them for biometrics data capture,” he explained.

     

  • Protest mars Ebonyi workers’ verification

    Protest mars Ebonyi workers’ verification

    Protests in Ishielu, Ohaukwu, Ebonyi, Afikpo North, Ezza North and Izzi local government areas of Ebonyi State yesterday, marred the workers’ verification.

    Workers across the councils protested what they described as ‘government’s insensitivity to the plight of civil servants and plans to cut their salary’.

    The protesters alleged that they were compelled to sign the voucher for payment of their old salary.

    In Ezza North, council workers participated in the exercise but primary and junior secondary teachers walked out.

    Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Ezza North, Mr. Samuel Offiagu, and Chairman of Association of Primary School Head Teachers, Mr Livinus Egede, regretted that the government decided to revert to the old salary structure rather than continue with the new one instituted by the last administration

    They said the protest was to press home their dissatisfaction with government’s decision.

    “We have resolved not to receive anything short of the 50 per cent salary paid to other civil servants. Teachers cannot be an exception, no amount of intimidation or harassment would make us collect what is not due to us. Others have been paid the 50 per cent and teachers must also receive it,” they said.

    Appeals by the Commissioner for Environment, Moses Ogodo Ali Nome, for the workers to reconsider their stand did not yield result.

    Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Emma Onwe alleged that the protest was politically-motivated.

    Onwe maintained that the exercise was well intended, stressing that the protest was orchestrated by political opponents.

    He described the exercise as successful and urged the workers to avail themselves of the opportunity.

    Reacting to the protest, the All Progressives Congress (APC) described the allegation as baseless, adding that the people were already disenchanted with the government.

    Chairman Pastor Nwachukwu Eze called on Governor Dave Umahi to fulfil his campaign promises rather than look for excuses for his colossal failure.

  • Ekiti APC condemns ‘endless’ verification

    •Govt: 1,000 ghost workers discovered

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has condemned the two-month verification, “which has caused hardship for civil servants and teachers”.

    It wondered why the screening, which should have ended in a month, has been dragging on without any ghost worker revealed.

    The party advised Governor Ayo Fayose to stop deceiving workers over “failed promises to pay their salaries”, describing the verification as a “wicked tactic to secure workers’ cooperation”.

    The APC in a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, urged Fayose to come clean on how he had been spending Ekiti money.

    The party said his comment on the state’s indebtedness was a callous way to deny workers their entitlements.

    The APC expressed dismay that the verification had wearied workers, especially expectant mothers who are made to queue for hours waiting for their turn.

    It maintained that Fayose has no excuse to owe salaries, judging by the empowerment schemes he stopped and the number of workers who have been sacked since he came to power.

    The statement said: “We have heard the governor say that the state is broke and we can’t find merit in that declaration.

    “The number of workers who were sacked and drastic cuts in the allowances and running grants of workers, including traditional rulers’, would have saved the state millions of naira.

    “Governor Kayode Fayemi carried out verification only once through biometric auditing that brought sanity to wage payment system.

    “We wonder why after Fayose did verification three times within seven months, the governor was still subjecting workers to unnecessary verification contraption.

    “We in APC pity the workers, including expectant mothers, who queue endlessly in the sun waiting to do this ill-conceived exercise.

    The governor assured that 48 hours after the exercise, the cleared workers would receive their pay.

    “But two months after some workers completed the exercise, the governor has refused to pay, instead he is keeping workers for hours in the sun for the salary that would not come.

    “As a result, the workers have become confused, dejected and despondent.

    “Ekiti people have heard how N650 million is being deducted from source to pay the governor’s election contractors. For six months, Fayose didn’t pay kobo on the purported Fayemi’s over-bloated debts.

    “Savings in millions are made from cuts in workers’ and Obas’ allowances and running grants, including the savings in millions from thousands who lost their jobs. Social security for 20,000 elders was also cancelled by the governor.

    “The question is what is the governor doing with Ekiti money?”

    But Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media Lere Olayinka said over 1,000 fake workers have been discovered.

    He said: “Over 250 dead workers have been receiving salary through the e-payment system introduced and contracted to a Lagos based company.

    “We have kept faith with our covenant with the workers by paying the April salary of those already cleared.

    “As at today, we have discovered more than 1,000 people that were receiving salary fraudulently, out of which over 250 are dead.”

  • Ekiti HoS defends verification

    The Ekiti State Head of Service, Olugbenga Faseluka, has said the ongoing verification embarked upon by the government would help in the management of personnel.

    Speaking in Ado Ekiti yesterday shortly after his verification, Faseluka said the government targeted an integrated payroll and personnel information management system that transcends the biometrics payroll currently used.

    The Head of Service said the exercise will be used for the payment of April salary and will capture complete information about the career history of every officer so that it can aid efficiency in personnel management.

    He added that it would also assist those who are in charge of human resources management as well as pension and payroll, among others.

    Faseluka, who was verified at the Political and Economic Department of the Governor’s office at 4:25 pm, expressed satisfaction with the cooperation and attendance of workers.

    He said the government wanted a system that would be owned by the workforce.

    He said no major hiccups have been reported, except minor challenges which could be surmounted using administrative expertise.

    “It has been a success story. We were looking up to the cooperation of everybody involved.”

  • Police pensioners verification ends

    A week-long verification exercise of police pensioners in the Southeast and Southsouth has ended in Enugu, with assurances from the handlers, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, (PTAD) that the biometric data capturing method would provide a more reliable and comprehensive database.

    The verification programme was carried out by the organisation under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS).

    Speaking at the event which took place at the Senior Police Officers Mess, Enugu Director- General of PTAD, Mrs. Nellie Mayshak, said it was part of the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

    She stated that PTAD opted to bring pension administration closer to pensioners with a view to making life easier and bearable for them.

    Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate is an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria established in August 2013 in compliance with the provisions of section 30 sub-section (2) (a) of the Pension Reform Act of 2004; now amended and restated in section 42 (1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014.

    Mayshak hinted that the establishment was charged with the management of pensions under the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS) for the attention of pensioners not transiting to the Defined Contributory Scheme (DCS).

    The D-G said, “What PTAD is doing is to have a more robust database that will give us a reliable and comprehensive data”.

    She added that with the biometric data capturing method, everything about pensioners issues would no longer be stressful in the future.

    The organisation, she said, inherited a non-comprehensive database from the former pension handler.

    Chairman of War Affected Police Officers in the Southeast zone, Mr. Mathew Orji Udeh, a lawyer, had expressed happiness with the Federal Government for putting in place such a reputable outfit as PTAD.

    He said his members were being verified because of the under payment complaint they lodged to the federal government some years ago.

    According to him, after they were granted amnesty, following the “No victor, No Vanquished” agreement after the civil war, the former pension handler, went ahead to pay them pension as Biafran police officers, instead of treating them like their other colleagues, in line with the amnesty accord.

    Udeh, however, expressed the hope that PTAD, would resolve the matter.