Low enrollment forces PenCom to extend pension verification deadline

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…Says only 31,099 of estimated 150,000 employees enrolled as at July 31

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By Victor Ahiuma-Young

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The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has extended the deadline for the ongoing mandatory One-Time Online Verification and Enrolment Exercise for employees of treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) entitled to accrued pension rights.

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The exercise, which commenced in February 2026 and was initially scheduled to end on July 31, 2026, has now been extended to December 31, 2026.

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PenCom said the extension followed low participation and requests from several MDAs for additional time for eligible employees to complete the process.

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“Low participation in the exercise has necessitated the timeline extension. As at July 2026, MDAs had uploaded 62,320 records of active employees and retirees, while only 31,099 employees had successfully completed the enrolment process.

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“These figures fall short of an estimated 150,000 active Federal Government employees entitled to accrued pension rights,” PenCom said.

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The commission urged eligible employees who are yet to enrol, as well as those who have started but not completed the process, to take advantage of the extension and complete their enrolment before the new deadline.

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PenCom said the exercise was designed to ensure that the accrued pension rights of eligible employees are accurately determined ahead of retirement.

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The initiative is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address pension liabilities inherited from the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), which operated before the introduction of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in 2004.

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Under Section 15(1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014, employees who transitioned to the CPS are entitled to accrued pension rights, representing benefits earned under the former DBS.

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The accrued rights comprise pension and gratuity benefits earned by eligible employees from the date of their first appointment up to June 30, 2004, with the amounts determined through an actuarial valuation process.

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PenCom said a circular issued on April 27, 2026, by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation directed all treasury-funded MDAs to support the exercise and ensure that eligible employees completed the One-Time Enrolment.

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The commission explained that the exercise was necessary to determine the Federal Government’s outstanding pension liabilities and facilitate adequate budgetary provisions for their settlement.

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The enrolment exercise is fully digital and is being conducted through PenCom’s Contributions and Bond Redemption Application (COBRA), a secure platform designed for data capture, validation and processing.

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According to PenCom, early completion of the exercise would facilitate the determination of employees’ accrued pension rights and enable the Federal Government to secure the necessary funding.

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The commission added that once the required amounts are determined and funded, they would subsequently be credited to the employees’ Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs), allowing the funds to earn investment returns and potentially enhance retirement benefits.

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MDAs, Pension Desk Officers (PDOs) and Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) have key roles in the exercise.

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MDAs are required to upload details of eligible employees on the COBRA platform, after which affected employees are expected to visit their respective PFAs with the required documents to complete the enrolment process.

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PenCom said Pension Desk Officers, who have been trained by the commission, are responsible for coordinating the exercise within their organisations and guiding employees through the process.

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The commission said it was continuing to collaborate with MDAs, PFAs and other stakeholders to improve awareness, facilitate participation and ensure that eligible employees were properly captured.

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While urging eligible employees not to wait until the last minute, PenCom stressed that all active employees of Federal Government treasury-funded MDAs who were in service as at June 30, 2004, are covered by the accrued pension rights provisions.

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The commission therefore called on all eligible employees and treasury-funded MDAs to use the additional time provided by the extension to complete the enrolment exercise before December 31, 2026.

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