PTAD presents findings of back-end computation exercise to pensioners’ unions, stakeholders

THE Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has presented findings of back-end computation exercise carried out to correct all anomalies associated with the records and monthly pension of the Defined Benefit Scheme pensioners under its payroll.

PTAD presented the findings in a stakeholders’ engagement meeting that had representatives from pension union executives, pension desk officers of the power and transport sector, the National Pension Commission (PenCom), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and SERVICOM.

The Executive Secretary of the directorate, Dr Chioma Ejikeme, who was represented by the Director, Pensioner Support Services Department (PSSD), Mrs Nneka Obiamalu, said the meeting was to explain the outcome of the back-end computation project undertaken by the parastatals’ pension department to address the challenges encountered with inherited monthly pension and related pensioners’ records under the Defined Benefit Scheme.

Obiamalu said “Some of the challenges include the absence of a comprehensive and integrated database of pensioners to aid a conclusive determination of eligibility, qualification and entitlements, due to non-availability of verification records for the pensioners; short-payment of pension and accrued arrears as a result of claims of non-harmonisation and/or wrong placement at enrollment and incomplete career and related records of pensioners to aid a quick and conclusive resolution of complaints, etc.”

PTAD’s Director, Parastatals Pension Department (PaPD), Mr Kabiru Yusuf, in a presentation, noted that PTAD initiated a back-end computation project to validate the records of pensioners captured during the 2019 nationwide field verification exercise and re-compute the monthly pension of the pensioners based on their career records, relevant salary structure and applicable pension increments.

He further clarified that it is the computed monthly pension derived from this project that, starting from July 2023, would be implemented in the pension payroll to replace the inherited monthly pension that was received at the time PTAD took over pension payments, thereby addressing complaints of over and under payments.

Yusuf stated that letters showing the pensioner’s career details and other parameters used for the computation and final pension entitlements will be dispatched to all 17,157 pensioners of the 25 agencies under the power and transport sector comprising the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), River Basin Development Authorities (RBDA) and steel companies.

In their responses, the pension desk officers and pension union executives commended PTAD for the comprehensive validation and computation exercise leading to the outcome presented.

However, some of the union executives pleaded for a delay in the implementation to enable them to explain to their members. Others were of the opinion that the implementation should go on as proposed in July 2023 payroll explaining that it would allow all affected pensioners to ascertain the accuracy and completeness of their computation and submit their complaints if  any.

The back-end project was officially kicked off in November 2022 with the PHCN sector which comprises 9,490 pensioners.

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