Lagos begins pensioners verification exercise

BY Olasunkanmi Akoni
Governor Babtunde Fashola of Lagos State has expressed his administration’s commitment and determination to all matters affecting pensioners and their well being.

The state Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu, stated this yesterday, at the flag-off of the 2011 pensioners biometric verification exercise at Agege Local Government Area.

He explained that the quest for the improvement and better life for the retired state workers prompted the state government to embrace biometric exercise.

He said it will not only curb the rigorous experience pensioners go through while collectting their monthly allowances, but will also ease the process and stamp out ghost pensioners that has also characterised the system.

He said: “Fashola is committed to all matters affecting pensioners so as to ease the burden of retirement and ensure their comfort even at old age because they have served and contributed in no small measures to the growth and development of the state while in active service.”

Permanent Secretary in Civil Service Pensions Office, Mrs. Folasade Adesoye, advised pensioners to cooperate with the field officers by presenting their pensioner’s identity cards, original copy of final letter of retirement and two passport-size photographs.

She said: “I must further assure you that our officers are ready to assist you with any challenges you may face and will make clarifications when necessary.”

Stating that the exercise has assisted the state government to check double appearance or ghost pensioners, Sanwo-Olu added that adequate provisions has been made for pensioners who for one reason or the other could not make it to the designated centres to be captured through special arrangement.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary in Civil Service Pensions office, Mrs. Folasade Adesoye explained that the biometric technology was introduced and adopted in 2008 because of the need for proper identification of all exiting pensioners on the pensioners’ payroll and to eliminate multiple identity, fraud and ghost pensioners.

On the exercise held at Agege to cater for those in Agege and Orile_Agege, she said that the state government has decentralized the exercise to ensure a stress_free participation by all pensioners across the state, saying, “The effort is just to demonstrate how pensioner friendly the state government is.”