PenCom extends pension verification deadline as over 118,000 federal workers fail to enrol

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has extended the deadline for the mandatory online verification and enrolment of eligible federal workers to December 31, 2026, following low participation in the exercise.

PenCom disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday, noting that only 31,099 employees had successfully completed the enrolment process as of July, out of an estimated 150,000 active Federal Government employees entitled to accrued pension rights.

This means about 118,901 eligible workers, representing 79.3% of the estimated total, had yet to successfully complete the exercise as of July.

What the statement says

The commission said Ministries, Departments and Agencies had uploaded 62,320 records of active employees and retirees to its platform, but only about half of those captured had completed enrolment.

The exercise began in February 2026 and was initially scheduled to end on July 31. PenCom has now shifted the deadline by five months to December 31 following requests from MDAs for more time.

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

Why the verification matters

The exercise is targeted at active employees of treasury-funded Federal Government MDAs who were already in service as of June 30, 2004, before Nigeria switched from the Defined Benefit Scheme to the Contributory Pension Scheme.

• Under Section 15(1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014, workers who moved from the old pension system to the CPS are entitled to accrued pension rights covering benefits earned before the transition.
• According to PenCom, the accrued rights comprise pension and gratuity benefits earned from an employee’s date of first appointment up to June 30, 2004, with the amount determined through actuarial valuation.
• The verification exercise is therefore expected to help establish the Federal Government’s outstanding pension liabilities and provide a basis for adequate budgetary provisions.

PenCom noted that the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had, in a circular dated April 27, 2026, directed treasury-funded MDAs to support the exercise and ensure eligible employees completed the one-time enrolment.

• “This is essential for determining the Federal Government’s outstanding pension liabilities and making adequate budgetary provisions for their settlement,” the commission said.

Enrolment goes fully digital

PenCom said the exercise is being conducted digitally through its Contributions and Bond Redemption Application, known as COBRA.

• The platform is designed to handle the capture, validation and processing of information required to determine workers’ accrued pension entitlements.
• Under the process, MDAs are responsible for uploading the details of eligible workers on COBRA. Employees are subsequently required to visit their Pension Fund Administrators with the necessary documents to complete enrolment.
• Pension Desk Officers trained by PenCom are expected to coordinate the process within their respective organisations and assist affected employees.

PenCom said early enrolment would allow accrued pension rights to be determined and enable the Federal Government to provide the required funding before affected employees retire.

Once funded, the accrued rights would be credited to workers’ Retirement Savings Accounts, allowing the money to earn investment returns and potentially increase their eventual retirement benefits.

PenCom urges workers to meet new deadline

The commission urged eligible federal workers who have not enrolled, as well as those who started but did not complete the process, to take advantage of the five-month extension.

It also called on MDAs, PFAs and Pension Desk Officers to intensify efforts to ensure eligible workers are captured before the new deadline.

• “While the extension to 31 December 2026 provides additional time, PenCom has urged eligible employees and their respective MDAs not to delay completion of the process,” the commission stated.

PenCom stressed that all active employees of treasury-funded Federal Government MDAs who were in service as of June 30, 2004, are covered by the accrued pension rights provisions and should complete the exercise before December 31.

What you should know

PenCom has introduced measures to make pension administration more accessible to contributors and improve the accuracy of pension records.

• In February 2026, the commission launched its Data Recapture Self-Service Platform (PENCAP), allowing Retirement Savings Account (RSA) holders to complete the mandatory pension data recapture process remotely.
• The platform enables contributors to update their biodata and biometric information online. PenCom said the initiative was designed to address challenges including incomplete pension records, delays in accessing benefits and congestion at Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) offices.
• Nairametrics recently reported that the Federal Government paid about N1.1 billion in additional exit benefits to 175 retirees of Treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who exited the Federal Public Service between January 1 and August 31, 2026.

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) disclosed this in a statement on Friday, stating that the payments were made under the Federal Government Exit Benefit Scheme (EBS), which became effective on January 1, 2026.

The scheme was approved by the Federal Executive Council to provide additional financial benefits to eligible federal employees upon retirement, alongside pension benefits under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).