Director-General of BPSR, Dasuki Arabi, disclosed this on Friday during an inspection of the North-Central verification centre in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The centre is coordinating the exercise for affected beneficiaries within the zone.
In a statement on Sunday, Arabi said the exercise targets officers disengaged from service in 2005, 2006 and 2007 who are yet to receive full payment of their entitlements.
“This verification exercise is specifically designed to capture staff disengaged from service in 2005, 2006 and 2007 who are yet to be fully paid their severance benefits,” he said.
He noted that the process is being conducted simultaneously across the country’s six geo-political zones to ensure timely completion.
“The exercise is taking place at the same time across the six geo-political zones to fast-track the process and ensure that all affected officers are properly verified,” Arabi added.
An official announcement jointly issued by BPSR and the Office of the Accountant-General confirmed that representatives of NEPC are expected to be present at all designated centres to identify and authenticate disengaged staff and their documents.
The verification was held at six centres nationwide: Lagos (South-West), Gombe (North-East), Kano (North-West), Enugu (South-East), Port Harcourt (South-South) and Lafia (North-Central), between January 19 and February 27, 2026.
Beneficiaries are required to present originals and photocopies of key documents, including valid bank account details, organisational identity cards, letters of first appointment and confirmation, last promotion letters, disengagement letters, evidence of initial severance payment, pre-retirement training certificates, birth certificates or statutory declarations of age, two recent passport photographs and BVN printouts.
Next-of-kin are also required to provide additional documents such as a death certificate issued by a government hospital, a letter of administration from a High Court, and a letter of introduction from the deceased officer’s organisation.
The severance issue dates back nearly two decades to a restructuring exercise at NEPC between 2005 and 2007, during which several staff members were disengaged from service.
While some initial payments were reportedly made at the time, a number of affected officers did not receive their full entitlements due to administrative bottlenecks, funding constraints and documentation discrepancies.
Over the years, the delayed payments have drawn repeated appeals from former staff and their representatives, many of whom argued that the prolonged wait created financial hardship and uncertainty. The current verification exercise is part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to clean up outstanding liabilities in the public service and ensure that legitimate beneficiaries are paid accurately and transparently.
A list of affected officers has been distributed across the various centres, including names scheduled for verification in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Gombe, Kano and Lafia.
Arabi confirmed that officials from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation are currently in Nasarawa State to verify the actual number of affected civil servants, a move aimed at ensuring accuracy and transparency in the process.
He said the decision to conclude the process and facilitate payment of the outstanding benefits brings relief to affected officers who have waited nearly two decades for full settlement of their entitlements.