Governance
PenCom Gives Eligible Federal Workers More Time to Complete Verification
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has extended the deadline for the mandatory online verification and enrolment of federal civil servants entitled to accrued pension benefits from July 31 to December 31, 2026.
The extension followed low participation in the exercise, with only 31,099 employees completing the enrolment process out of an estimated 150,000 active federal workers eligible for the benefits.
PenCom said Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) had uploaded records of 62,320 eligible employees on its digital platform as of July 2026, but many of the affected workers were yet to complete their individual enrolment.
The commission said the additional five months would give eligible employees more time to complete the process and enable the government to obtain accurate information needed to determine its pension liabilities.
According to PenCom, several MDAs had requested an extension because many of their employees had not completed the digital exercise.
The commission urged all eligible workers to use the extension to complete their registration rather than wait until the new deadline, stressing that the exercise is necessary for the proper determination and payment of pension rights earned under the old pension system.
The affected benefits relate to pension rights accumulated by employees under the pre-2004 Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) before they moved to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The accrued pension rights cover qualifying service rendered up to June 30, 2004. PenCom said the value of each employee’s entitlement is determined through actuarial valuation in line with Section 15(1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014.
The commission explained that completing the exercise early would also help the Federal Government make appropriate budgetary provisions for the liabilities.
Once an employee’s entitlement is determined, the approved amount can be credited to his or her Retirement Savings Account (RSA), allowing the funds to be invested and earn returns before retirement.
PenCom said the enrolment exercise is being conducted entirely through its Contributions and Bond Redemption Application (COBRA), a digital platform designed to capture, validate and process information relating to the affected workers.
Under the process, eligible MDAs are required to first upload the relevant employee records to COBRA. The affected workers are then expected to approach their Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), armed with the required documents, to complete the enrolment.
PenCom-trained Pension Desk Officers in the various MDAs are responsible for coordinating the exercise within their agencies and assisting employees who may need guidance in completing the process.
The commission said it was working with the MDAs, PFAs and other stakeholders to increase awareness and improve participation before the December deadline.
PenCom also urged agencies and eligible workers not to become complacent because the deadline had been extended, noting that the exercise remains mandatory for those covered by the programme.
It said all active employees of federal treasury-funded MDAs who were already in service as of June 30, 2004, and subsequently moved to the Contributory Pension Scheme, are eligible for the accrued pension rights and are required to complete the one-time verification and enrolment exercise by December 31, 2026.
The exercise is expected to give the government a clearer picture of its outstanding pension obligations while ensuring that workers receive the benefits they earned from their years of service under the former pension arrangement.