For so many years before President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, pensioners had faced untold hardship and neglect; while the pension administration system made them orphans and destitute after most of them put over 30 years of meritorious service to the nation.
At a time before the coming on board of Buhari’s administration, being a pensioner was a curse and a nightmare. Even before their monthly pension payment, they struggled to get verified under very wicked human condition for people at their age. The pension payments did not come regularly and at times out rightly misappropriated.
Mr. Sunny Osuagwu, former Permanent Secretary, Establishment and Pension Office, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, said that before now the hardship pensioners’ go through was beyond their mental and physical capacity to carry as they were stretched beyond financial, health and physical limits.
“Previously, pension verification was nothing to write home about as pensioners were subjected to serious hardship. The process of verification might stretch beyond a week. Little or no provision is meant for their comfort notwithstanding their age and health conditions,” Osuagwu, who is Senior Technical Adviser to the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) Executive Secretary, said.
Echoing, one of the pensioners, Pa Mike Onyeze, who retired to his village in Abagana in Anambra, noted that before now, he could remember how he must go and borrow money for transport, feeding and joint hotel accommodation with two of his co-pensioners for about a week or more for verification in Enugu.
Onyeze said: “Then, when you arrive at the verification centres, you will be asked to stand on a queue for hours under the scorching sun, leading to slumping of some of us due to weak physical and health state. There is no trace of comfort or respect for the elderly, as a young man in the verification team will always be yelling at his father’s mate – ‘Don’t cross this line and stop pestering me with questions’- . It was virtually a bad memory to think about what we have gone through in the past. Then, most of us would never pray or encourage our children to follow in our footsteps of serving the nation”.
However, the National Vice President of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Mr. Damian Udeani, said that pensioners are happy with President Buhari on how PTAD is currently coordinating pensioners’ verification and making pensioners’ welfare utmost priority in the exercise. Udeani, who is in-charge of NUP activities in the South-East, further said that verification for some years running are done under relaxed, friendly and air conditioned environment meant to provide retirees comfort.
Udeani said: “Today, PTAD has streamlined verification to ensure that retirees know the days of their verification ahead of time, which day superficially they are to do their verification during their week-long exercise. The agency always move pension verification to hospitals and homes of retirees that are sick and those so aged/weak to travel to the verification centres to stamp out stress for these class of senior citizens”.
Pa Chidi Okam, a retiree, commended the Federal Government and PTAD for re-orienting pension officials to be courteous, adding: “The PTAD workers are different, dedicated and have been very helpful. They take time to explain issues to us gently and in a respectful manner.”
Okam noted that pensioners now do their verification in air conditioned halls with good sitting arrangement, given at least a breakfast and a lunch in their specific day of verification; while bottled water is served at any time of demand. “There is also a stand-by ambulance and health team at each verification centre for more than six years running as I can remember. With all these comfort, the issue of a pensioner slumping is rarely witnessed any longer”.
However, with the recent President Buhari’s approval for the use of technology-driven verification for pensioners better days are ahead as pension administration would be further made seamless and pensioners-friendly. The pilot launch of the “I Am Alive” verification application signifies a master stroke and new era of pension administration meant to remove all known stress retirees experienced in the past.
Chief Temple Ubani, President-General of Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria, said that Buhari has changed the tide and system of pension administration by the singular act of approving a pensioners-friendly technology to assist the system.
Ubani said: “It is clear that our amiable President is continually thinking of how to better our lot and this will be further achieved by the ‘I Am Alive’ application that can be operated in the comfort of our homes. Operating the application is so simple with few steps you are through and given a confirmation”.
In the same vein, Mr. Edwin Ofoegbu, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Enugu State, said that Buhari’s administration through PTAD had changed pension system administration to the extent that we have a clear departure from the recent past. Ofoegbu said that the “I Am Alive” application is such a transformational initiative that those days of travelling from a far destination for verification are over.
Ofoegbu said: “Slumping of pensioners on queue is over as well as pensioners being stranded, turning into destitute and beggars in the city for their verification is over. At least in my life time I have seen the CHANGE President Buhari has promised on how senior citizens of this great country are treated fairly, with respect and love.”
Speaking, Mr. Emma Adu, National Secretary of NITEL/MTEL Pensioners, thanked the Federal Government and PTAD for coming up with an application “so easy and less cumbersome’’ that elderly people can relate to.
Adu said: “We salute President Buhari for the changes we have seen as pensioners in pension administration in the country, which are being spear-headed by PTAD. The latest being the I Am Alive application, which is an innovation worth millions as we are concerned as pensioners. The thought, burden of travelling and even some uncertainties at the pension verification centres have been lifted from us with the application.”
The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Dr. Chioma Ejikeme, said that the ‘I Am Alive’ application is a giant step meant to reduce the stress of pensioners going forward; while confirming whether an individual pensioner is alive or not. Ejikeme said that the application came about when the present pensioners-friendly administration of President Buhari sought for ways to totally eliminate all hiccups in pension verification nationwide.
She said: “With the I Am Alive application, you can do your verification in the comfort of your home as a retiree and it will hit the PTAD data-base simultaneously; thus, a stress-free, seamless, concise and friendly technological application all pensioners can easily relate to. The application is at its test run stage; while some pension unions’ executives would be fully trained on how to use the application and they would in turn train their fellow colleagues in localities. In every community you must find or have people using simple android phones that you can use to access our website and fill up the simple requirements and get your confirmation at the end.”
The executive secretary noted that the pension welfare and well-being packages of the Federal Government do not stop at regular monthly payment to pensioners or the new I Am Alive application but they also ensure that pensioners enjoy health insurance package as well. She revealed that the Federal Government has set up a committee to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Health to see to the possibility of placing all senior citizens, especially pensioners, in the universal health insurance coverage scheme. “This arrangement when implemented will ensure optimal health of all pensioners and reduce their healthcare financial burden.”
Ejikeme also revealed that the Federal Government, through PTAD, is also working out means to further reach out and interact with individual pensioners at special occasions or dates in their lives.
“Federal Government wants to show further care by following pensioners in their special occasions or days and sending them messages of best wishes. We want pensioners to know that we are always with them as well as praying for longer and healthier lives for them,” she said.
As it is said in our nation’s national anthem: “The Labour of Our Heroes Past (retirees) Shall Never Be in Vain”. (NAN)
