PTAD Engages Media on Operations, Reforms
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PTAD Engages Media on Operations, Reforms
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) on Thursday held a one-day training workshop for pension correspondents and online editors in Abuja as part of efforts to strengthen public understanding of the Defined Benefit Scheme and promote accurate reporting on pension administration in the country.
Welcoming participants, the Executive Secretary of PTAD, Tolulope Odunaiya, said the Directorate considered the media a critical partner in its mandate to safeguard the welfare of federal pensioners.
She explained that the training was designed to ensure that journalists covering pension matters were better acquainted with the mandate, operational structure and future direction of the agency.
According to her, PTAD’s achievements over the years would not have been possible without the robust support of the media, especially pension correspondents whose reports, she said, had helped the public appreciate the reforms undertaken within the Directorate.
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Odunaiya noted that pension management in Nigeria remained a sensitive subject, and that PTAD had worked tirelessly to change the narrative through improved processes, transparency and the deployment of technology.
She called on journalists to understand where the Directorate was coming from, what has been achieved and the reforms underway so that the public could continue to receive accurate and balanced information.
She added that the Directorate was determined to maintain its partnership with the media as it continues to correct misrepresentations and strengthen public trust in the Defined Benefit Scheme.
She described the workshop as an opportunity for learning, unlearning and renewed collaboration.
During the technical session, a pension expert, Kabiru B. Yusuf, delivered a paper examining the history of the pension system in Nigeria and PTAD’s oversight role.
He traced the evolution of pensions from the earliest ordinances of the 1950s through the Udoji Commission reforms of the 1970s, explaining that the Defined Benefit Scheme had been the dominant pension structure for decades before the enactment of the Pension Reform Act 2004 and later the Pension Reform Act 2014, which gave legal backing to PTAD.
He recalled that before PTAD’s establishment in 2013, the pension system was marred by widespread fraud, ghost beneficiaries, manual record keeping and the absence of a comprehensive database.
According to him, the Directorate inherited tens of thousands of unresolved complaints, unprocessed death benefits and thousands of verified pensioners who were not on the payroll at the time.
Yusuf pointed out that it was these deep-rooted challenges that prompted the far-reaching reforms which eventually located the administration of all federal pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme within PTAD.
He said the current legal framework, backed by the 1999 Constitution and reinforced by the 2014 Act, ensures that pension rights cannot be withdrawn or altered to the disadvantage of pensioners.
He also explained the complex ecosystem of oversight bodies, including the Federal Ministry of Finance, the National Pension Commission, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and relevant committees of the National Assembly, all of which play vital roles in ensuring compliance and accountability.
The paper further reviewed PTAD’s achievements since inception, noting the transition from a largely manual pension system to one built on automated processes, digitised records and improved verification mechanisms.
Yusuf said the Directorate had, over the years, developed a fully integrated pensioner database, introduced mobile and home-based verification services for aged and infirm pensioners, created technology-driven platforms for benefit computation and complaints resolution, and achieved greater accuracy in monthly payroll management.
He also outlined the significant progress made in reducing inherited pension liabilities and the sustained payment of monthly pensions, which, according to him, has improved the quality of life of thousands of retirees.
He recalled that PTAD’s reforms had earned national recognition, including commendations from the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission in 2019 and Servicom in 2023, both of which acknowledged the agency’s commitment to transparency and the innovative use of technology in pension administration.
