The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has described the proposed pension scheme for the Diaspora pensioners as a good development and unique in Nigerian history.
Dabiri-Erewa said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja by her media aide, Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun.
Dabiri Erewa commended unique efforts by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) to include Nigerian pensioners in the Diaspora in the nation’s pension scheme which she said, had never happened before.
“This is unique in the history of Nigeria as nobody has deemed it fit to capture the data of Nigeria pensioners in the Diaspora,’’ she said.
According to the presidential aide, the measure will save the Nigerian pensioners abroad the trouble of coming and going back for the collection of pension.
“The introduction of the scheme is an interesting news to the Diaspora and we will work with our pensioners in the Diaspora because they deserve to receive their pension after meritorious service to the country.
“Am sure this will go a long way to show that this administration cares for all Nigerians, either at home or in the Diaspora.
“We will look forward to capturing every Nigerian in Diaspora who had served the country,” Dabiri-Erewa said.
The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor, had on Tuesday said the agency was proposing pension scheme that would capture Nigerians in the Diaspora who had served their country diligently.
Ikeazor said the directorate would commence pension scheme for the Nigerians in the Diaspora who had served the country before travelling abroad.
“They are our heroes and heroines who had worked for this country since independence and there is need to capture them in our pension scheme through verification and updating our data base,’’ she said.
She explained that the Diaspora pensioners were Nigerians who worked in the country and due for pension but did not collect their pension before going abroad.
She said the directorate would partner the office of SSA to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to enable it to capture pensioners in the Diaspora to have their accurate data base.(NAN)