Management of National Pension Commission (PenCom) said the commission is putting structures in place to ensure that employees would not be registered more than once for the contributory pension scheme.

Director-General of PenCom, Mr. Muhammad Ahmad, said the organisation’s Information and Communication Technology department is in the forefront of this initiative.

The Pension Reform Act, 2004 makes it mandatory for all employers of labour with a minimum of five employees to ensure that their employees join the contributory pension scheme being operated in the country at present.

While reviewing the operations of PenCom’s departments in the last one year, Ahmad said the commission’s Information Technology Department is a driving force in the realisation of the commission’s ICT objectives as well as providing support to all stakeholders in performing their various roles in advancing the pension industry in Nigeria.

“Applications in the process of implementation include Oracle E-Business Suite which would provide PenCom staff with the tools required to achieve the goal of becoming a paperless office and the Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) that would assist in identifying multiple registrations using biometrics,” he said.

According to him, the department has been implementing the Risk Management and Analysis System (RMAS) application which would enable the regulator to obtain direct information on various aspects of operations of pension operators to ensure a safe and sound pension industry.

The department has also been providing support for the existing applications such as the Contributor Registration System (CRS) and Pension Returns Rendition System (PenRRS), he stated.

In addition, the department provided a robust connectivity both within PenCom and also between the stakeholders via fibre optics and VSAT Networks as well as maintenance of all ICT infrastructures.

With regards to the activities of PenCom’s Compliance and Enforcement Department, the PenCom boss said the department has implemented the various strategies for ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Pension Act.

The strategies, as contained in the Framework for Compliance, included on-site inspection of employers, public enlightenment, collaboration with the key stakeholders, and application of the Sanctions Regime.

The department, according to him, also ensured the transfer of Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) contributions into Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) of members was ongoing pursuant to the provisions of Section 42 of the Pension Act. Furthermore, the department followed up on the transfer of the remaining NSITF assets to Pension Fund Custodians.