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By Henry Uche, [email protected]
With the successful launch of its “I AM ALIVE” confirmation, the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has reiterated that it is poised to keep proximate relationship with pensioners under its mandate in other to improve service to them, sanitise its pension payroll and reduce pension fraud.
Just recently, PTAD organised a sensitisation and training programme for Pension Union Representatives and Pension Desk Officers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies. Over 300 participants from the North East, North West and North Central were in attendance at the 3-day event.
Launched in October 2021, the “I AM ALIVE” Confirmation Solution which is a web-based solution allows Pensioners confirm their aliveness in the comfort of their homes using an internet-enabled phone or computer system. This will make sure that pensioners will no longer come out for physical verifications. For the pilot phase of the program, 50,000 pensioners, drawn from the Civil service, Parastatal, Police, Customs, immigration & Prisons Pension Departments were randomly selected and sent text messages to participate. Among other things, the app will ensure that the pensioners’ database is up to date and confirm that a pensioner is alive and should continue to receive their pension entitlements.
In an address, the Executive Secretary of PTAD, Dr. Chioma Ejikeme said, “We premised our justification on the need for PTAD to continuously update its pensioners database as a means of ascertaining verified and qualified pensioners that are alive should continue to receive their monthly pension.
“We explained that the pilot program was intended to test the applicability, ease of usage and user-adaptation of the solution, following which final adjustments would be made before deployment across the nation for all our pensioners.”
The “I AM ALIVE” Confirmation Solution is the crucial next step that we have to make in our journey to ensuring that all our esteemed pensioners, senior citizens who have served this country, can enjoy their hard-earned pensions without the hardships of the past.
“The tedious, challenging and expensive field verification exercises of the past must end. Pensioners must be able to confirm their aliveness from the comfort of their homes, or at the very least, within close proximity to their residences. They should also be able to resolve their complaints without unnecessary stress. We want them to be able to contact PTAD with ease, and to be treated with respect and dignity. This project and all others we have implement in the past, have been designed towards this end goal,”
The PTAD boss maintained that Pensioners have put in their useful lives laboring for the country, some of them over 35 years, others less than 35 years, therefore they shouldn’t be seen suffering or labouring again before they could receive their due. She noted that the Directorate is collating feedback from Pensioners, Union Executives and Pension desk officers to enable them (PTAD) make sure there are no hitches when the app is fully implemented.
“Very soon we shall implement this App fully and make it publicly known. We want to confirm the aliveness of our pensioners. We want to stop impersonation and other forms of pension frauds. You know when a pensioner dies, his pension should stop, but we want to be sure that while they are still alive, we are informed and at the same time they receive their monthly pension as and when due. When we are satisfied with what we are seeing, we shall go on full operation.
