Pensioners in Cross River State have been urged to participate in the ongoing verification exercise in the state.
Recently, there have been arguments and disagreements over the verification exercise.
Elderly pensioners had in 2021, blocked the Murtala Mohammed Highway in Calabar over exclusion from the pensions lists, over claims that they were dead.
The State Auditor- General Comrade John Odey urged pensioners to alert others, especially those in rural areas, assuring that the government was determined to capture all and sustain monthly payment of pension.
Odey spoke when executives of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners called on him in his office on Tuesday.
“Government wants to keep track of pensioners with the view to getting their accurate data.
“The verification exercise is aimed at lessening the sufferings that pensioners go through during periodic exercises.
“The programme will improve to the extent that pensioners will perform their verifications at the comfort of their home without necessarily having to go the bank.”
Comrade John Odey regretted the scenario where pensioners assume ignorance of the exercise maintaining that the exercise helps the government to manage and channel its scarce resources in the face of other compelling needs.
The Auditor-General expressed hope that no pensioner will be left uncaptured at the end of this exercise.
Responding, Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Cross River State Branch Comrade Emmanuel Adie expressed appreciation that the role of the union is being recognised.
He pledged to disseminate information on the ongoing verification exercise to all members maintaining that they “will do their best to ensure that no pensioner is left unverified”.
