The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has expanded eligibility for its PenCare Initiative pilot programme to include retirees receiving monthly pensions of up to ₦150,000, in a move designed to increase participation and improve access to healthcare for pensioners.
Announcing the decision on Tuesday following the third meeting of the Pension Industry Leadership Council (PILC) in Abuja, PenCom Director-General, Ms. Omolola Oloworaran, said the commission had raised the income threshold to encourage greater enrolment in the pilot scheme and generate sufficient data to evaluate its effectiveness.
Speaking after the meeting, Oloworaran disclosed that PenCom is targeting 30,000 beneficiaries under the PenCareInitiative but has so far enrolled approximately 13,000 retirees.
She explained that increasing the income threshold was necessary to ensure the pilot attracted enough participants to produce meaningful and reliable results.
“We need a critical mass to properly test the system. Running a pilot with just 10,000 people will not give us the results we want,” she said.
According to Oloworaran, retirees receiving monthly pensions of ₦150,000 or less are now eligible to enrol and benefit from free health insurance under the PenCare pilot scheme.
She stressed that the revised income threshold is a temporary measure intended solely to improve participation during the pilot phase and will be reviewed once the programme has been evaluated.
“That we have extended it to ₦150,000 does not mean it will remain there. It is to help us test the system effectively,” she said.
Oloworaran also appealed to journalists to support awareness campaigns for the initiative, noting that many low-income retirees remain unaware of the programme and the healthcare benefits available to them.
The PenCom Director-General further announced that the commission plans to introduce three healthcare packages after the pilot phase to provide sustainable medical support for retirees across different income groups.
She explained that the first package will offer free healthcare services for low-income retirees, while the second will provide a co-payment option for pensioners requiring additional support.
According to her, the third package will enable higher-income retirees to purchase enhanced healthcare cover at competitive premium rates.
Oloworaran reaffirmed that improving retirees’ welfare remains one of PenCom’s foremost priorities, adding that the commission would continue to introduce initiatives aimed at strengthening pensioners’ wellbeing and financial security.
“We continue to explore initiatives that will improve retirees’ wellbeing and ensure Nigerians retire with peace of mind,” she said.
