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Uche Usim, Abuja
The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) spent N102.82 billion on federal pensioners between January 2018 and March 2019 under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS).
Its Executive Secretary, Sharon Ikeazor, who confirmed this in Abuja at North Central stakeholders’ forum for pensioners, also disclosed that 104,133 others spread across 270 agencies/institutions are to be electronically captured in a comprehensive verification exercise spread across the six geo-political zones and Lagos.
A breakdown of the payouts showed that N59.97 billion was utilised to fund parastatal pension department in the 15-month period. Out of this figure, N45.05 billion was spent in 2018 while the balance of N14.92 billion was paid out in the first quarter of this year.
For the civil servants pension department, N26.4 billion was released during the period made up of N21.21 billion for 2018 and N5.19 billion for the first three months of this year. PTAD further spent N8.64 billion in paying Customs, Immigration and Prison Service, out of which N6.81 billion was for 2018 while the balance of N1.84 billion was utilised in the first quarter of this year.
More so, N7.78 billion was released to police, out of which N6.12 billion was the amount utilised in 2018, while the balance of N1.65 billion was for the first quarter of 2019.
Commenting further, the PTAD boss stressed that the payment underscores the resolve by current administration to prioritise prompt payment of pension benefit to deserving pensioners to make life easier for them.
A breakdown of the figure, showed that the highest amount of N59.97 billion was utilised to fund Parastatal Pension Department during the period under review.
Out of this amount, N45.05 billion was utilised in 2018 while the balance of N14.92 billion was spent in the first quarter of 2019.
For Civil Servants Pension Department, the sum of N26.4 billion was released during the period, made up of N21.21 billion for 2018 and N5.19billion for the first three months of this year. In the same vein, PTAD paid the sum of N8.64 billion as payment to Customs, Immigration and Prisons Service out of which N6.81 million was for 2018 while the balance of N1.84 billion was utilised in the first quarter of this year.
For Police pension, N7.78 billion was released out of which N6.12 billion was the amount utilised in 2018, while the balance of N1.65 billlion was for the first quarter of 2019.
She described year 2018 as very eventful, pointing out that the agency recorded significant mileages interns of pension payments to pensioners.
