The Federal Government is pulling all strings to make civil servants comply with the National Pension Commission (PenCom) one-time nationwide Online Verification and Enrolment Exercise for all active employees of treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who were employed before 30 June 2004. The phased exercise has earned the buy-in of the Federal government and has intensified efforts to improve participation in the ongoing mandatory verification and enrolment exercise for civil servants with accrued pension rights, following low turnout despite the importance of the exercise.
The exercise, which commenced on 2 February 2026 and will end on 31 July 2026, is aimed at capturing accurate and complete data on eligible workers. This will support the timely payment of their accrued pension rights under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
According to PenCom statement, the platform includes multiple layers of verification, such as biometric capture and cross-checking of employment records. This helps to improve data accuracy and reduce errors that could delay pension payments at retirement. The first phase, which ran from 2 February to 31 March 2026, covered employees expected to retire between January 2027 and December 2029.
The initiative is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to settle pension obligations carried over from the old Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), which existed before the introduction of the CPS in 2004.
Under Section 15(1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014 (PRA 2014), employees who moved to the CPS are entitled to accrued pension rights, representing benefits earned under the DBS. To fund these obligations, the law provides for the establishment of the Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund, domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
In a circular issued on 27 April 2026, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, directed all treasury-funded MDAs to support the exercise. The circular emphasised that verification is essential for determining the Federal Government’s outstanding pension liabilities and making adequate budget provisions for their settlement.
The ongoing second phase, from 1 April to 31 July 2026, is for employees who will retire from January 2030 onwards. PenCom noted that the phased approach will improve coordination, enhance monitoring and ensure that all eligible employees are captured within the timeline.
Despite these arrangements, participation has remained below expectations. This led to a directive from the Head of Service mandating full compliance by all treasury-funded MDAs.
PenCom has assured employees that participating in the exercise will enable the computation of the employees accrued pension rights and advise the Federal Government of same for adequate provision to be made. This would further ensure seamless access to benefits immediately after a worker retires.
Failure to take part in the exercise may complicate the processing of accrued pension rights at retirement and could lead to delays in accessing benefits.
