BY IVO TAKOR
AFTER decades of public service, workers should not have to struggle through administrative procedures to establish pension benefits they have already earned. Yet Nigeria’s ongoing pension verification exercise raises an important concern: whether the systems designed to protect retirement entitlements are sufficiently accessible and efficient to serve the workers who depend on them.
The challenge is no longer simply about encouraging participation. It is about ensuring that administrative delays, missing employment records and difficulties accessing verification services do not prevent eligible workers from securing their retirement benefits.
Missing employment records, inconsistent personal information, incomplete data recapture and difficulties obtaining verification assistance are potential obstacles. These challenges may be particularly significant for employees whose original appointment and promotion records date back more than twenty years.
On September 15, 2026, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) extended its mandatory verification and enrolment exercise for eligible federal employees to December 31, 2026, following requests from federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and concerns over low participation.
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As of July 2026, only 31,099 workers had successfully completed enrolment, leaving an estimated 118,901 yet to complete the process.
These figures reveal a substantial enrolment gap but offer little explanation for it. Without identifying the reasons for incomplete enrolment, it would be premature to attribute the shortfall to workers’ unwillingness to participate. The immediate priority must be to identify and resolve the obstacles preventing eligible employees from completing the exercise.
Nigeria’s transition from the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in 2004 created accrued pension rights for eligible employees who had accumulated retirement benefits under the previous arrangement.
The current verification exercise seeks to establish these entitlements for eligible employees of treasury-funded federal MDAs who were already in service on June 25, 2004. Accurate historical employment information is required to determine the benefits earned before the transition.
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These entitlements are recognised under the Pension Reform Act 2014, while Section 173 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, provides important protection for federal public servants’ pension rights.
Failure to complete an administrative verification exercise should not automatically be confused with forfeiture of an underlying statutory entitlement. Nevertheless, incomplete verification can delay the determination of benefits and create considerable uncertainty for employees approaching retirement.
For workers who have devoted decades to public service, the distinction between possessing a legal entitlement and being able to access that entitlement is particularly significant.
PenCom’s digitalisation initiative offers opportunities to improve efficiency, strengthen record management and accelerate pension processing. However, an online verification platform is only as effective as the administrative arrangements supporting it.
The exercise requires coordinated action among employees, MDAs and Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs). MDAs must upload employment records, employees must provide the necessary information, and PFAs must undertake the applicable verification procedures.
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Consequently, an employee’s ability to complete enrolment may depend on actions by several institutions.
Missing employment records, inconsistent personal information, incomplete data recapture and difficulties obtaining verification assistance are potential obstacles. These challenges may be particularly significant for employees whose original appointment and promotion records date back more than twenty years.
Digital accessibility presents another concern. Some workers may require assistance navigating online platforms, accessing electronic communications or correcting discrepancies in their pension information.
PenCom’s guidelines recognise these difficulties by requiring PFAs to assist prospective retirees who cannot independently complete online registration. Special arrangements are also provided for critically ill or incapacitated applicants.
However, the actual contribution of these potential obstacles to the current enrolment shortfall has not been established. Effective intervention requires identifying the difficulties workers are experiencing rather than assuming that incomplete enrolment has a single cause.
Extending the deadline is necessary, but additional time alone will not resolve institutional or procedural difficulties.
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PenCom should use the extension to establish a clearer picture of outstanding applications and identify where intervention is most urgently required.
Periodic progress reports should distinguish employees awaiting employment record uploads, those experiencing documentation difficulties, those awaiting PFA verification and those whose applications have been successfully validated.
Ultimately, the true measure of pension reform is not how efficiently workers are enrolled, but how reliably the system protects and delivers the retirement benefits they have earned.
Such information would enable MDAs, PFAs and Pension Desk Officers to direct assistance towards unresolved cases instead of relying exclusively on general enrolment campaigns.
Equally important are accessible procedures for correcting employment records, tracking applications and resolving complaints. Employees who have initiated verification should be able to determine the status of their applications and identify the steps required to complete the process.
PenCom should also clarify the treatment of otherwise eligible workers whose applications remain incomplete after December 31 because of unresolved administrative difficulties.
These measures would help ensure that the extended deadline produces meaningful progress without compromising legitimate verification requirements.
Trade unions have a responsibility to ensure that their members understand the verification requirements and receive the assistance necessary to complete the exercise.
Their involvement should extend beyond awareness campaigns. Unions should identify recurring procedural difficulties, support affected members and engage Pension Desk Officers, PFAs and if the need arises, PenCom to facilitate the resolution of outstanding cases.
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Particular attention should be given to workers approaching retirement and those experiencing difficulties obtaining historical employment records or accessing digital verification services.
Union participation can also strengthen communication between employees and pension administrators, helping to identify problems before they result in prolonged delays.
This approach is consistent with the International Labour Organization’s Social Protection Floors Recommendation No. 202, which emphasises accessibility, effective complaints procedures and consultation with workers’ representatives.
Meaningful engagement with trade unions would contribute to a more inclusive verification exercise while safeguarding workers’ legitimate retirement interests.
While successful verification is essential, its purpose extends beyond establishing eligibility. It must ultimately facilitate the payment of retirement benefits.
The Pension Reform Act 2014 provides for the recognition and funding of qualifying accrued pension rights. Under Section 39, the Federal Government is required to make prescribed contributions to the redemption fund, while PenCom has responsibilities concerning the assessment of projected pension liabilities and the identification of funding shortfalls.
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However, PenCom’s published guidelines make remittance schedules subject to the availability of funds. Consequently, successful enrolment does not automatically guarantee immediate payment.
Verification delays and funding constraints must therefore be addressed separately to ensure that administrative progress translates into tangible benefits for retiring employees.
Workers need reliable information about their entitlements and the anticipated timing of payments to make informed decisions about their financial security after retirement.
The substantial number of outstanding enrolments should prompt a focused examination of the verification process rather than assumptions about workers’ willingness to participate.
The extension to December 31 provides an opportunity to resolve outstanding cases, strengthen assistance arrangements and ensure that otherwise eligible employees are not disadvantaged by administrative circumstances beyond their control.
Ultimately, the true measure of pension reform is not how efficiently workers are enrolled, but how reliably the system protects and delivers the retirement benefits they have earned.
For Nigeria’s public servants, pension verification must be a pathway to retirement security, not another obstacle to obtaining it.
Comrade Takor is a lawyer, trade unionist and human rights advocate. He is a former National President of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), former National Treasurer of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and immediate past Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Epe Branch.
