FCTA Embarks On Verification Of 1,250 Pensioners
The FCT Area Council Staff Pension Board has commenced verification of 1,250 pensioners aimed at getting accurate database of pensioners into the scheme.
The Director of FCT Area Council Staff Pension Board, Mr. Nden Nanzing, who made this revelation Thursday while fielding questions from journalists, stressed that the verification exercise was part of directive from the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello to get the database of right pensioners on FCT payroll.
He also revealed that the verification exercise will afford the Board an opportunity to increase pension in line with the National Pension Commission (Pencom) which recommends an increase of pensions every five years, stating that the process is due for review.
“The verification is a directive of the FCT Minister to get the database of our pensioners into the scheme and ensure that we are paying the right persons. We have 1,250 pensioners under the defined benefits scheme on our payroll. We have to verify if all of them are still alive to see if we can increase their pensions.
“We have a regulation from the Pensions Commission which allows us to increase pensions every five years and the process is due now. Unless we have a reliable data base, we will not be able to advise the Honorable Minister on the increase.
“At the end of the exercise, we will tender a report to the Minister on the entire process and those we have already captured on the database,” Nden stated.
One of the pensioners, Rev. Kasuwa Zamani, who spoke to our correspondent commended the FCT Area Council Staff Pension Board for the verification exercise, just as he appealed that the Board should embark on upward review of pension in view of the present day economic realities.
According to him, “we are happy the decent manner in which the exercise is being conducted and civility accorded to pensioners. However, I want to appeal very passionately that the Board should increase our pension for us to meet up with the present day economic demands”.
Another pensioners, Mrs. Nancy Bulus, who spoke in the same vein stressed the need for the Board to use the verification exercise to fish out ghost pensioners.
