PTAD lauds Impact of Technology in Pension Verification

Mrs Sharon Ikeazor, Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) says the deployment of technology has made pension verification seamless.

Few years ago, when PTAD was still doing manual verification of retirees many of them were dying in the process.

PTAD deployed 45 functional laptops, 20 scanners, 20 webcam cameras, 20 thumb-print capturing machines and five printers.

Ikeazor made this known to newsmen when he officially declared open the verification NITEL and MTEL pensioners in Enugu on Wednesday.

She said the directorate was fully automated, adding that PTAD staff had been well-schooled and vast on how to operate the new devices.

“As I speak to you, we have our internet server here and all its necessary attachment to ensure seamless exercise and to key- in information instantly.

“The directorate had over the years invested heavily on modern technology that will make our work and service to the people very seamless and real-time,’’ she said.

The executive secretary said that through the help of technology PTAD was now doing mobile verification for sick and incapacitated pensioners.

“We have collected the phone numbers of sick pensioners and their contacts; and our staff will do mobile verification for them by going to where they are to capture them electronically,’’ she said.

Sharing his experience, one of the pensioners, Mr Emeka Offor said that it only took him less than 10 minutes for his name and vital information; his picture and thumb-print captured and scanning of his document to be captured.

“I must commend President Muhammadu Buhari for his care for pensioners and equipping PTAD with modern gadgets to function optimally,’’ he said.

PTAD is verifying 22,000 pensioners of NITEL and MTEL in seven centres across the nationwide and at each of the centre, it will take eight days to conduct the exercise.