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By Nkiruka Nnorom 

Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers has launched a robust marketing campaign to further drive awareness of the pension scheme as well as its usefulness to everyone who wants to retirewell. 

Themed: ‘Make Extraordinary Happen’, the Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) emphasised its dedication to supporting the dreams of everyday Nigerians who are working hard to attain financial independence and who dream of enjoying an extraordinary post work life.

Olumide Oyetan, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, said the launch of the campaign is aimed at building on the progress that has been achieved so far in sensitising and educating the public about the importance of having a pension plan with the right partner.

He said, “Our Make Extraordinary Happen campaign reiterates our commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian can fulfil their dreams during active work life and still enjoy an extraordinary retirement. Many young people believe that PFAs just take their money, invest it for a few decades, then return it at retirement. However, we do more than that at Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers. 

“We support financial and investment literacy, teaching clients and their children end-to-end financial planning. We engage employers in knowledge sharing and enlightenment sessions to simplify the administration of their staff pension benefits. We hold pre-retirement sessions to support pre-retirement individuals in transitioning seamlessly and position opportunities that would help our clients at various life stages to achieve their financial goals. 

“This campaign is, therefore, aimed at communicating the possibilities that exist when pension contributors allow us partner with them to create the extraordinary lives that they dream of, now and at retirement.”

Oyetan emphasised that Nigerians can take advantage of the pension scheme through the formal plan which caters to those in paid employment, as well as through the Micro Pension Scheme, which supports people who are self-employed.

Oyetan said, “we have welcomed thousands of contributors who have chosen to allow us support their dream of retiring well and today, over 1.9 million Nigerians are enjoying the commitment, transparency and sustainable long-term investment returns which our clients enjoy. We, therefore, urge other like-minded individuals to move to Stanbic IBTC and enjoy the many solutions we’ve specially curated to ensure that they retire well”, he added.

Such reliefs, ABCON explained, should include : Comprehensive harmonization of all local, states and federal government taxes which currently is imposing a heavy burden on the citizens of Nigeria; Deliberate and dynamic monetary policy to optimize interest rates to stimulate savings, investments and production; Better coordination of monetary and fiscal policies to avoid conflicting effects detrimental to set objectives.

ABCON also noted the sharp and persistent depreciation of the naira since the beginning of the year, warning that this trend will increase the debt service burden of   the country and thus undermine the nation’s credit risk as well as impede foreign capital inflows into the country as well as increase the debt service burden on the country.