The government of Abia State says it has commenced the biometric data capturing of all pensioners to enable them know the actual number of genuine pensioners in the state for easy payment.
The state commissioner for Finance, Aham Uko disclosed this to newsmen in Umuahia, adding that the exercise has become necessary to checkmate the rising cases of irregular names on the pension scheme.
Uko also said the exercise was aimed at pruning down the huge monthly pension bill of the state which will in turn enable them to ensure regular payment of genuine pensioners.
The finance commissioner said, “Governor Okezie Ikpeazu -led government wants pensioners to be treated with dignity and to enjoy the benefits of their active years in service, hence the exercise”.
He said that the pension arrears of the state is about N21 billion, adding that government was concerned about the humongous bill and was determined to put in place a process of liquidating them.
The Commissioner disclosed that he met a monthly pension bill of N510 million when he came on board in November 2019 and said that he had been able to reduce it to N380 million through thorough scrutiny of list of pensioners.
Uko said that the government’s intention was to sustain regular payment of pensioners every month which had commenced in December 2019, “We are determined to sustain the new tempo we have set in motion”.
The Abia finance commissioner said the facial-capturing and finger-printing, as well as Biometric Verification Number and BVN confirmation of pensioners, would last for 10 days.
The exercise, according to him, will be conducted simultaneously in all 19 sub-treasuries across the state in an orderly manner and warned that trouble makers should not come near the centers.
