MARCH 22, 2012 BY SESAN OLUFOWOBI
Lagos State Government on Wednesday inaugurated its 2012 biometric verification exercise with the registration of its oldest pensioner, 112-year-old Abimbola Asaye, by the Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pension, Mrs. Florence Oguntuase.
The commissioner also registered two other elderly pensioners, Onilude Sumonu (87) and Oduyela Victoria (79).
She said the verification was meant to ensure transparency, remove loopholes and reduce stress in collection of pension by retirees in the state.
The commissioner said the state governor had taken a special interest in the pensioners and was committed to their welfare.
Oguntuase said, “No effort will be spared on all matter affecting pensioners so as to ease the burden of retirement and ensure your comfort at old age. You have served and contributed to the development of state while in service, now the state is ready to reciprocate.”
She said a new system, biometric solutions, that was introduced in the state, had led to the decentralisation of the verification exercise.
She said, “Before, verification was done at just one centre. Now, pensioners are verified at the nearest council to their residence. The government is determined to improve the well being of pensioners.
“The decentralisation has reduced stress for our pensioners. Lagos State Government does not owe any pensioner.”
She assured that the process would be further decentralised to ensure a stress free participation.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Civil Service Pension Office, Mrs Folasade Adesaye, explained that government was doing all it could to conform to best practices in pension administration.
She said, “The biometric technology fingerprint identification system is a world class pension administration, which was adopted and introduced by the state government in 2008 to ensure proper identification of all existing pensioners on our payroll and to eliminate multiple identity, fraud, ghost pensioners and loopholes of the previous methods where pensioners were not paid as and when due.”
Adesaye said the pension office would continue to deliver quality services to satisfy the pensioners.
SOURCE: The Punch, 22 March 2012. http://www.punchng.com/
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