PTAD verifies NICON Insurance, NDA, NNN, other pensioners

Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has commenced pension verification for retired employees of Nigeria Insurance Corporation (NAICON), Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Civilians, New Nigeria Newspapers and Nigeria Re-Insurance who have long been sidelined from pension benefits.

The exercise is aimed at capturing the retirees four organizations into the pension database of the directorate under the Defined Benefit Scheme to enable their personnel draw pension entitlements.

Over 12 years, the retirees of these organizations have not benefited from pension and

have described the exercise as divine intervention commending PTAD for the timely intervention to including them in the scheme.

The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Barr. Sharon Ikeazor, who declared the exercise opened on Monday at the PTAD headquarters in Abuja, said it would last for six days.

Some of the pensioners told our correspondent that for the first time retirees were having it very smoothly; adding that the procedure is completely different from that of the past where pensioners were treated with disdain.

For example, Mr. Awa Nmaju, a former staff of NICON Insurance and Chairman, Pensioners’ Pressure Group, said that they have not received pension in the last twelve years.

He said “Our pension has not been paid in the last 12 years; and we have been struggling to see that we get paid to no avail. Eventually, PTAD has done a great job arranging this verification exercise for us.

A journey that started in 2005 up to now, it’s not a small journey, but we have a relieve as soon as our case was transferred to PTAD. A lot of attention has been given to it, especially the new Executive Secretary of PTAD, Sharon Ikeazor. She has done a great job for us.”

Nmaju said, “I am very much excited. In fact, my happiest day was on the 3rd of March when I was told that the minister has approved for us to be pensionable.”

The pensioner recalled that when the Federal Government privatized his former corporation and were paid off, he had been finding it difficult to survive; lamenting that what they were paid was not commiserate with the years they put into the service.

He said, “Since we have been put under pension, we will start receiving monthly stipend; though it may not be as we expected it. Although they will pay us arrears.”

Another pensioner, Mr. Mcihael Olasoni Rees, said, “For the first time, retirees are having it very smoothly; and you know the procedure is completely different from that of the past where pensioners were treated with disdain; people fallen down, because of lack of seating arrangement but as you can see, how things are going on very smoothly here.

“We give kudus to PTAD. The old days where retirees are treated as if they are not human beings look as if it’s past, now you can see how people are going in a good procedure. When we came in they welcomed us very well; and they told us that there will be snacks after the verification exercise, that has never happened in the history of retirees in this country.

“My expectation is that if you have been captured and verified as retiree to enjoy pension, they should speed up the process of pension payment, so as to reduce the pressure and the anguish pensioners are going through because honestly life has not been easy with most us.

“New Nigeria is not on the street presently, but it isn’t as if it is not working, it is now online; and the 19 northern states are making concerted effort to make sure that the paper bounce back to the street. This is my own opinion, I am not holding briefs for them.”

On what the FG should do to lessened the burdens of pensioners in the country, he said, “what PTAD is doing now is part of it.

Look at the way they are doing things orderly, look at the way they are attending to pensioners like human beings. Before, pensioners are treated almost like less than an animal, but now, they are making things orderly; and that is the beauty of it and at least we are getting this treatment, but we want the payment to follow almost immediately.”

Relief is on the way of thousands of retired employees of moribund New Nigerian Newspapers and their counterparts in Nicon Insurance corporation(NICON Isurance), courtesy of PTAD.

Other pensioners who spoke with The Daily Times said that initially, Lagos and Kaduna were selected as verification venues, but after further meetings and on their appeal that most of our members are in Abuja, then the directorate agreed to include Abuja as one of the venues for the exercise, otherwise, it would have held in the two major cities.

“No fewer than 1,500 retired personnel of Nicon Insurance will undergo the screening exercise in Kaduna,” the source said.

The Kaduna-based defunct New Nigeria Newspapers was an FG’s media outfit , privatised by Bureau of Public Enterprises ( BPE) in 2004; bought by Northern states, but the paper had been moribund due to lack of working capital amidst backlog of unpaid salaries.

NICON Insurance was also privatised in 2005; and has over 1,500 retirees battling with pension challenges until PTAD stepped in three months ago.

PTAD has taken over legacy pension assets in custody of NICON Insurance, following execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the directorate and NICON Insurance Limited.