by Nurat Uthman
The Chairman, Military Pensions Board, AVM Paul Irumheson, has disclosed that the Federal Government has approved an electronic verification system for military pensioners to ensure sanity in pension administration.
Irumheson stated this while addressing newsmen about the commencement of the electronic verification exercise nationwide on Friday in Abuja.
He said the initiative was aimed at sanitising military pension administration and eliminating issues of impersonation.
The chairman said the board adopted an electronic verification system to reduce the risk of travelling from one place to another and the cost of transportation owing to their old age.
“You may recall that on February 15, I briefed this honourable press about the board`s intention or plan to move from physical verification to electronic verification for our military retirees.
“The reasons, among others, include the security risk of travelling from one place to another; the old age of some of our pensioners; and the high cost of transportation, particularly for those staying abroad,” he said.
Irumheson said the board successfully conducted a pilot test from February 15 to March 1, adding that only 15 of the 2,000 pensioners verified failed the process.
He said the little observations he noticed had been used to improve the system.
According to him, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, have approved the commencement of the verification for the esteemed pensioners.
The chairman assured that the board would carry out sufficient public awareness to enable pensioners to navigate the system with ease.
He called on military pensioners to take advantage of the electronic verification exercise, as those who failed would cease to receive their pensions.
“I hereby declare the Electronic Verification Exercise officially open on full scale for all our retired pensioners for a period of three months from July 1, to Sept. 30.
“Finally, the Board wishes to advise all pensioners to take an active part in this exercise.
“Those that fail to take part in the verification exercise will not get their pensions going forward,” he said.
