By Ameh Gabriel
In a landmark move to promote dignity, inclusion, and improved welfare for Nigeria’s senior citizens and pensioners, the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) and the Pensions Transitional Arrangements Directorate (PTAD) have agreed to establish a Joint Working Group to guide a new phase of strategic collaboration between the two agencies.
This development was formalized during a courtesy visit by the Executive Secretary of PTAD, Tolulope Odunaiya, to the Director General of the NSCC, Hon. Omobolanle Akinyemi-Obe, at the Centre’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday 4th August, 2025.
The partnership will focus on critical areas such as; Data Sharing and Joint Interventions
Nationwide Stakeholder, Engagement and Outreach Programs, Innovations for Healthy and Productive Ageing
Pensioners’ Welfare and Advocacy, Medical Outreach and Assistive Device Distribution,Nutrition Campaigns, Comprehensive Profiling of Senior Citizens across Nigeria.
Speaking during the meeting, Hon. Akinyemi-Obe lauded PTAD’s dedication to the well-being of older persons, praising the visit as a demonstration of shared purpose and national commitment. She emphasized that the NSCC’s mandate aligns squarely with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, underlining her vision to protect, empower, and amplify the contributions of senior citizens to national development.
In her remarks, PTAD Executive Secretary, Tolulope Odunaiya, underscored PTAD’s core mission: “To ensure one pensioner equals one pension — paid correctly, to the right person, at the right time.” She highlighted the federal government’s ongoing pension reforms aimed at strengthening the Defined Benefit Scheme to benefit all eligible pensioners in a fair and lawful manner.
Odunaiya commended the NSCC for its leadership in crafting innovative, impactful initiatives such as the Continuing Engagement Bureau – a platform that reintegrates senior citizens into productive national life. She noted that PTAD’s efforts to restore confidence in the pension system through biometric verification, digital transformation, the ‘I Am Alive’ confirmation process, and nationwide stakeholder forums align seamlessly with NSCC’s forward-thinking approach.
Both agencies affirmed their commitment to working collaboratively to ensure that senior citizens in Nigeria live not only longer but better – with dignity, purpose, and recognition.
Signed
Omini Oden
Head, Corporate Affairs, Media and Communications
