Conflict Arises as PTAD Removes 50,000 Fake Pensioners from Payroll

Dr. Chioma Ejikeme, the executive secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), has revealed that some corrupt persons who inflated pension benefits and replaced genuine pensioners with ghost pensioners in the past are unhappy with her reappointment and the verification exercise of PTAD. She said that these people are trying to create trouble and spread false information that pensioners plan to protest against her.

She stated that under her leadership, PTAD has fought corruption to a standstill in the old pension scheme, the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), and has restored thousands of pensioners who were wrongly removed from payroll. She said that PTAD has also saved millions by eliminating over 50,000 fake pensioners from the system through the use of biometric verification and the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System.

She added that PTAD has created a centralised database with complete and accurate information about all pensioners under the DBS, which is the first of its kind in the history of the scheme.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), the umbrella body of pensioners in Nigeria, has expressed its support and appreciation for Dr. Ejikeme and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for her reappointment. The NUP said that Dr. Ejikeme has rejuvenated the hopes of pensioners all over the country with her professional and compassionate approach to the job. The NUP also denied any involvement in the alleged protest against her.