The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) in Abuja has launched a new online solution designed to enable pensioners under the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS) to easily confirm their aliveness from the comfort of their homes using either a smartphone or a computer system.
The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Dr. Chioma Ejikeme, unveiled the solution, known as the I Am Alive Confirmation (IAAC), on Friday 14th April 2023. She stated that the online application would replace the old-fashioned practice of field verification, thereby eliminating the stress and inconvenience pensioners faced traveling long distances to attend verification exercises.
Ejikeme added that the platform is simple and easy to use, and the directorate had provided short videos (Video 1 and Video 2) for instructions. The pilot phase was successful, with identified teething challenges promptly resolved. She noted that the IAAC solution is available to all PTAD-verified pensioners across the four Pension Departments, including Police Pensioners, Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pensioners, Civil Service Pensioners, and Parastatals Pensioners.
The new online solution aims to improve the accuracy and reliability of validating the aliveness of pensioners, with huge benefits to both DBS pensioners and the Federal Government. It will enable the government to accurately estimate its funding of pensions, immediately removing deceased pensioners from the payroll, and completely eliminating the need for field verification funding. Pensioners can confirm their aliveness using their smart mobile phones, desktops, or any computer device with internet access, and receive the result via SMS.
The Directorate has given the four departments and their pensioners a six-month grace period to complete their IAAC solution. Ejikeme also assured stakeholders that nobody could tamper with pensioners’ pension payments through the “I Am Alive” platform. During the launch, the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, encouraged all pensioners to enroll in the solution, while Dr. Stephen Fatusin, the Chairman, Southwest Zonal Congress of Pensioners, Federal College of Education (FCE) Section, commended the Directorate for all its efforts.
The IAAC solution pilot scheme was inaugurated in October 2021 with 50,000 pensioners.
Source: NAN
Do you want to receive the latest pension news, reports, articles, etc right inside your inbox? Sign up here or click here to chat with us
