Nigeria launched PenCare in Abuja on Tuesday, with the National Pension Commission saying its first phase will cover up to 30,000 eligible retirees and share the cost of health care with pension operators.
PenCom says the initiative was established with licensed pension fund operators to improve access to quality health care for eligible participants in Nigeria's Contributory Pension Scheme. Its official portal identifies the commission and Pension Fund Operators as joint funders. The first phase is capped at 30,000 retirees.
The portal calls for equitable representation across Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs). Eligible retirees who meet PenCom's requirements are to be enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis. A separate circular sets a consent process for eligible retirees who choose Programmed Withdrawal.
PenCom's Oct. 26 circular directs PFAs to obtain informed, voluntary consent when a retiree executes the Programmed Withdrawal agreement. It says a retiree's decision to decline PenCare must not affect the processing or payment of retirement benefits. The consent instruction applies to eligible retirees choosing this withdrawal option.
PUNCH and Vanguard reported that President Bola Tinubu was represented at the Nov. 10 launch by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. They said Tinubu described PenCare as a way to provide essential health care at no cost to low-income retirees, with Akpabio delivering his remarks.
PenCom Director General Omolola Oloworaran said the pension industry had committed more than ₦7 billion to PenCare and paid premiums covering nearly 30,000 retirees, the two outlets reported. PenCom had said in an Aug. 6, 2025, announcement that Tinubu ordered an expedited rollout of free health care access for low-income retirees in the scheme.
