PTAD warns pensioners against fraudsters

The Pension Transitional Arrangements Directorate (PTAD) has warned pensioners against falling prey to the antics of fraudsters in the course of the ongoing nationwide verification.

Minister of State for Environment and immediate past Executive Secretary of PTAD, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor, gave the warning on Wednesday during the inauguration of the agency’s liaison office in Awka.

Ikeazor said that the management of PTAD under her watch learnt that fraudsters send messages via phones and e-mails to pensioners telling them to pay some money before they can register with the agency.

“The current verification PTAD is doing does not require any pensioner parting with one naira. The exercise is aimed at including the bio-data of every pensioner in PTAD’s database and that will be the end of repeated verification for Nigerian pensioners,” she said.

Ikeazor said that arrangements have been concluded to establish PTAD offices across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to reduce the sufferings of pensioners.

She said that arrangements have been made to ensure that the new management of PTAD continues to render quality services to pensioners.

The minister warned officials of PTAD nationwide not to collect money from pensioners to solve their problems and advised the senior citizens to always visit PTAD offices to seek accurate information on pension-related problems.

“We have dedicated telephone lines, including toll-free lines for our pensioners to have easy access to us,” she said.

She commended the Anambra state government for making office space available for PTAD at the state secretariat in Awka and appealed to other states to emulate the kind gesture.

The incumbent Executive Secretary of PTAD, Mrs. Chioma Ejikeme, assured pensioners that she would continue on the footsteps of her predecessor in making things easier for pensioners.

Ejikeme called on the pensioners to utilise the current verification to get their data into the PTAD system.