Police pensioners laud verification exercise

THE ongoing verification exercise of retired Police personnel by Pension

Transitional Arrangement Directorate [PTAD] has been described as the

best organized exercise in the past twenty four years. 

   This was the opinion of the Akwa Ibom state chairman of Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria, Jonah Ekpo while speaking with journalists.

    He said: “This is the first time police verification exercise is done the way

it should be done. I retired in 1991 and for 24 years that I have been attending this exercise, this is the first time canopies and chairs are provided for us to sit in and even served food and water to drink.

   According to him, the exercise which is to cover those that were left

out of the contributory pension scheme for four days running  have been  attended by  about 500 persons out of the expected 700.

   Ekpo noted that the exercise has been fast and smooth, adding that, since the coming on board of PTAD in the past one-year, it has been success stories for police pensioners.

 He commended the federal government for coming up with the new scheme,

explaining that it was optional for indigene of the state staying outside to come home for the exercise.

   “Since the verification is online, one can do it in any police command outside his or her state of origin”, he said Corroborating the views of the chairman, Victor Abia, a lawyer and Chief Superintendent of police retired in 2004 said, “I have attended verification exercises for about three times before now, it used to be difficult and un-interesting exercise.

    “It used to be tiring and people used to stand for hours without

adequate attention, people used to faint during this exercise before, but here, we are given seat and even water and food to eat; this has transformed the exercise. Staff of PTAD are friendly to us, I plead the status-quo be sustained”.

  According to ASP Armstrong Mbukz rtd,) the organizers should make it

mandatory for police pensioners to carry out the exercise in any police command which is nearer to them, not necessarily doing it in their state or origin.

   He said such decentralization would help reduce risk of traveling long

distances to their respective state for the exercise, noting however that, the exercise has been carried out in a more conducive manner compared to previous exercises.

   Earlier, head of Corporate Communications of the Directorate.

Steve Omanufeme, explained that the exercise was ongoing for the

South-South and South East zones.

   According to him, the programmed is aimed at harmonizing the administration of pension for effective management of the exercise.

    It would be recalled that, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy,

Dr. Ngozi Iwela had said that with the help of PTAD, about N1.2b have

been saved by government in the past one year.