By Victor Ahiuma-Young

The National Pension Commission, PenCom, has announced the recovery of not less than N1.58 billion from defaulting employers. 

This came as the commission expressed concerns over state governments care free attitude embracing Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS.

PenCom is worried that only eight out of 25 states across Nigeria are currently fully implementing the CPS in their states.

The Commission’s Director General Omolola Oloworaran, who spoke during an address at the First Run 2025 Consultative Forum For States and FCT in Kano, said “Today, 25 states and the FCT have enacted CPS laws. Six others operate hybrid schemes, and another six have bills at advanced stages. Noteworthy progress has been made in Katsina, Yobe, Bauchi, and Abia states but full implementation remains limited to only eight states.

“To bridge this gap, the Commission is offering a flexible adoption model, allowing states to start with new employees or those with fewer than 10 years of service. We are also providing support to help states plan for legacy obligations and migrate their entire workforce in a financially sustainable way.

“The destination is clear: full onboarding of all states and the FCT into the CPS. And I am confident that through sustained dialogue, technical collaboration, and strong political resolve, we will reach this goal together.

“Colleagues and partners, this Forum is more than a meeting. It is a call to collective action. Let us use this moment to co-create solutions, share innovations, and recommit ourselves to the vision of a secure, unified, and inclusive pension system.

Oloworaran recalled that President Bola Tinubu approved a N758 billion bond to settle accrued rights and Pension increases from almost two decades ago, fund the Pension Protection Fund, and ensure full salary payments for professors at retirement.

According to her, the Commission had also automated Pension Clearance Certificate issuance, boosting efficiency and transparency, and also launched a Consumer Protection Framework to safeguard contributors’ rights.

She said “Through more robust enforcement, we recovered N1.58 billion from defaulting employers.” she said.

The Director General added that state remittances had improved, stressing that as of February 2025, pension assets had surpassed N23 trillion.