The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has paid N1.7 billion outstanding pension arrears to 5,382 civil service pensioners, its Executive Secretary, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor, has said.

A statement from the PTAD explained that the pensioners are among the 7,969 civil service pensioners enrolled on the PTAD monthly payroll in March this year with a total payment of N71.5 million for the month.

In addition, she said the Directorate has adjusted monthly pension payments for 10,522 pensioners to reflect their correctly computed monthly pension based on their employment records.

Besides, 4,292 pensioners had their monthly pension payments adjusted downward, while 6,230 were adjusted upwards, the statement added.

She assured all pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), who have outstanding pension arrears that payments will be made as soon as the Federal Government allocates and disburses funds.

She further assured pensioners that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s is committed to senior  citizens’ welfare.

The PTAD plans to put 3,542 pensioners of Delta Steel Company (DSC), Aladja on the payroll next month. The payment of their monthly pension will also begin, she said.

Mrs Ikeazor said this was coming 13 years after the Federal Government concluded the privatisation of the company in February 2005. According to her, the Directorate recently concluded computation of the pension benefits of the DSC pensioners.

She, however, noted that the computation, audit and payrolling of NICON, Nigerian Reinsurance and NITEL/MTEL would be completed soon.

She said: “It is significant to note that this milestone achievement is coming 13 years after the Federal Government concluded the privatisation of the company.

“In March 2017, my management team and I paid a working visit to Aladja, Warri Delta State to meet with the retirees to assure them of President Buhari administration’s commitment to the welfare of pensioners.

“PTAD had successfully verified 4,182 regular pensioners and deceased pensioners’Next of Kin (NoKs) in November 2017 in an exercise that held concurrently in Abuja, Lagos and Aladja in Delta State.

Following the successful conclusion of the exercise, 3,542 pensioners, who were cleared by Federal Audit, will be payrolled in August 2018 and will start receiving their monthly pension for life.