Fed Govt intensifies push for online verification, enrolment for pre-2004 civil servants
The Federal Government has intensified efforts to improve participation in the ongoing mandatory verification and enrolment for civil servants with accrued pension rights. This followed the low turnout it recorded
The Federal Government has intensified efforts to improve participation in the ongoing mandatory verification and enrolment for civil servants with accrued pension rights.
This followed the low turnout it recorded while conducting the exercise.
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) is conducting a one-time nationwide Online Verification and Enrolment Exercise for all active employees of treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for pre-2004 treasury-funded civil servants who were employed before June 30, 2004.
In a statement, the commission said the exercise, which started on February 2 and will end on July 31.
The commission said the exercise is aimed at capturing accurate and complete data on eligible workers to support the timely payment of their accrued pension rights under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
“The exercise is meant to address legacy pension liabilities, the initiative is part of government’s efforts to settle pension obligations carried over from the old Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), which existed before the introduction of the CPS in 2004. Under Section 15(1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014 (PRA 2014), employees who moved to the CPS are entitled to accrue pension rights, representing benefits earned under the DBS.”
“To fund these obligations, the law provides for the establishment of the Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund, domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“In a circular issued on April 27, 2026, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, directed all treasury-funded MDAs to support the exercise. The circular emphasised that verification is essential for determining the government’s outstanding pension liabilities and making adequate budget provisions for their settlement,” the statement said.
It explained that for the digital transformation to drive a new approach before the automation by PenCom a few years ago, the process relied on manual processes that were often affected by incomplete records and delays. The current exercise is fully digital and a significant technological improvement from the initial Online Enrolment platform.
“PenCom has now deployed the new Contributions and Bond Redemption Application (COBRA), a secure platform designed to support real-time data capture, validation and processing.
“The platform includes multiple layers of verification, such as biometric capture and cross-checking of employment records. This helps to improve data accuracy and reduce errors that could delay pension payments at retirement,” it said.
