The government also said it would begin online biometric
verification for 5,984 pensioners under the Defined Benefits Scheme on Monday.
Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Mrs
Ajibola Ponnle disclosed this at a news conference in Alausa, Ikeja, saying
that the exercise would kick off on August 9 to September 17, 2021.
According to Ajibola, pensioners under the defined benefits
scheme which could not be captured in the Contributory Pension Scheme, which
kicked off in 2007, had been paid N4.7 billion since 2019.
She added that pensioners under the Teachers Establishment
Pension Office, TEPO, had been paid N2.7 billion since inception of the
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, while pensioners under the
Judicial Service Commission had been paid N640 million.
The commissioner stated that government decided to embark on
online verification of the pensioners, tagged: “I Alive,” because of threats
posed by COVID-19 pandemic.
She said the success of the first online verification
exercise carried out in 2020 due to COVID-19 necessitated government’s decision
to embark on the same process this year as the third wave of the virus is here
already.
“Capitalising on the achievement of the 2020 exercise, the
Civil Service Pensions Office, CSPO, has concluded plans to make the 2021
Online Verification Exercise a greater success. This exercise will entail
confirmation of existing biometric data against the pensioners available online
for verification,” Ponnle explained.
The commissioner added that the advantages of online
verification included ease of implementation, as individual pensioners undergo
their verification from the comfort of their homes or offices either in the
country or abroad; compliance with COVID protocols to reduce large gatherings
and reduce travel cost to pensioners to various verification locations.
Ponnle said while government did not anticipate any hitch
with this process, it was also mindful of the associated challenges with new
initiatives and technologically driven ideas and that as such, government had
plans in place to make the process as seamless and as smooth as possible.
Ponnle with top management of the ministry during the
briefing
“As previously executed in Y2020, due diligence would be ensured
from the beginning of the exercise to the end so that no Pensioner of Lagos
State is left behind,” she said.
Ponnle also disclosed that the Sanwo-Olu administration
approved 33% increase in pensions for pensioners under the defined benefits,
with 25% rent allowance for officers on GL 7 and above who retired between May
2000 – August 2004.
She emphasised that government is not owing pensioners, as
they had been paid till date, adding that there is an ongoing plans by
government to expand social protection and welfare of Defined Benefit
Pensioners, Medical/Health Insurance and transportation on Lagos State
Government travel network.