The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate has commenced the verification of about 8,000 pensioners of Delta Steel Company, Aladja and Federal Housing Authority under its Defined Benefit Scheme in three centres across the country .
The pensioners are expected at the centres located in Delta state, Lagos and Abuja with relevant documents for verification in other to be included in the pension payroll of the government several years after leaving government service.
Speaking at the commencement of the exercise in Abuja, Mr. Onofiok Ekon who retired as General Manager of Delta Steel Company in 1995, said he did not believe the exercise would hold, but was impressed with the arrangements made by PTAD which showed the directorate is ready to attend to them.
Officials of the directorate said the exercise is expected to last four days in Abuja, eight days in Delta and five days in Lagos.
The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Sharon Ikeazor who monitored the flag-off of the exercise in Abuja, said process would involve documents review, biodata capturing and including them in the comprehensive database towards enrolment for monthly pension payment.
PTAD recently concluded the verification of civil service pensioners across the six geopolitical zones of the country, bring to three, categories of pensioners that has so far been verified.
They had earlier concluded the verification of police pensioners as well as those of the Customs, Immigration and Prison services.
In October, it began the verification of pensioners under its parastatals category.
The agency is expected to present to government a comprehensive data of pensioners under the old Defined Benefit Scheme at the end of the exercise.