The National Pension Commission has intensified its enforcement drive to ensure nationwide compliance with the Contributory Pension Scheme by launching a specialised, high-level monitoring platform targeting non-compliant sub-national governments.
The pension regulator inaugurated the maiden edition of its Bi-Annual Consultative Session for Heads of Service of states that are yet to fully adopt or implement the scheme. The initiative is part of an ongoing strategy to deepen pension reform at the sub-national level and secure a sustainable retirement future for public servants across all states of the Federation.
The strategic session, which serves as a critical platform for high-level engagement and knowledge sharing, featured the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, as the Special Guest of Honour.
Her presence underscored the Federal Government’s commitment to aligning pension structures across all tiers of public service.
Speaking on the operational friction limiting the scheme’s sub-national footprint, the Director-General of PenCom, Omolola Oloworaran, expressed deep concern over the slow pace of statutory execution at the state level.
“This initiative represents a continued and deliberate effort by PenCom to bridge the implementation gap at the sub-national level. Our goal is to collaborate closely with state governments to build a robust, transparent, and highly sustainable pension system that guarantees the welfare of workers upon retirement,” Oloworaran stated.
She further emphasised that the consultative framework was specifically designed to provide practical, hands-on support to help outstanding states navigate transition challenges, understand the immense fiscal benefits of the CPS, and overcome stubborn bottlenecks hindering full adoption.
Data presented at the roundtable revealed a stark reality: while 26 states have successfully passed their pension reform laws, only seven states and the Federal Capital Territory are fully implementing the CPS. This leaves 29 states lagging behind in full implementation despite either having legal frameworks on the ground or pending bills in their respective assemblies.
In successive remarks echoing the regulator’s concerns, delegates and administrative heads at the session acknowledged that technical and political limitations had historically stalled progress.
“Stronger political will, targeted technical support from PenCom, and consistent engagement with organised labour are vital to fast-tracking the implementation process nationwide,” the delegates noted in a joint consensus during the roundtable discussions.
The discussions focused on addressing the peculiar challenges faced by various states, ranging from funding backlogs of accrued pension rights to managing the complex transition away from the old, fiscally draining Defined Benefits Scheme.
With this bi-annual consultative framework now active, PenCom remains optimistic that more states will transition from merely enacting laws to full, active compliance, thereby protecting state civil servants from old-age poverty.
