The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has extended the deadline for the mandatory online verification and enrolment of eligible Federal Government workers to December 31, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement on Tuesday, saying the exercise, which began in February, was initially scheduled to end on July 31. PenCom said the extension followed requests from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) for more time to enable eligible employees to complete the online enrolment process.
As of July 2026, MDAs had uploaded 62,320 records of active employees and retirees, but only 31,099 employees had successfully completed the enrollment.
The commission said the number remained below the estimated 150,000 active Federal Government employees entitled to accrued pension rights.
“PenCom calls on all eligible employees and Treasury-funded MDAs to take full advantage of the extension and complete the enrolment exercise before the new deadline,” the commission said.
PenCom said the exercise is aimed at determining the accrued pension rights of eligible employees and establishing the Federal Government’s outstanding pension liabilities.
“This is essential for determining the Federal Government’s outstanding pension liabilities and making adequate budgetary provisions for their settlement,” the statement said.
The exercise is being conducted digitally through PenCom’s Contributions and Bond Redemption Application (COBRA), which facilitates data capture, validation and processing.
MDAs are required to upload details of eligible employees on the platform, after which the employees are expected to visit their respective Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) with the required documents to complete the enrolment.
Pension Desk Officers (PDOs), trained by PenCom, are responsible for coordinating the exercise within their organisations and guiding employees through the process.
The commission said early completion would facilitate the determination of workers’ accrued pension rights and enable the necessary funding to be secured from the Federal Government.
It added that the amounts due would eventually be credited to eligible employees’ Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs), allowing the funds to earn investment returns before retirement.
“Amounts would be credited to employees’ Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) well ahead of retirement — earning investment returns and boosting retirement benefits,” PenCom said.
Exercise covers workers who entered service before 2004
PenCom said the exercise addresses pension liabilities inherited from the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), which operated before the introduction of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in 2004.
“Under Section 15(1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014 (PRA 2014), employees who transitioned to the CPS are entitled to accrued pension rights – benefits earned under the DBS,” the commission said.
The accrued rights comprise pension and gratuity benefits earned from an employee’s date of first appointment up to June 30, 2004.
According to PenCom, all active employees of Federal Government Treasury-funded MDAs who were in service as of June 30, 2004, are covered by the accrued pension rights provisions.
The commission said the determination of the rights would be based on an actuarial valuation process.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, in a circular dated April 27, 2026, had directed Treasury-funded MDAs to support the exercise and ensure eligible employees completed the one-time enrolment.
PenCom urged eligible employees and MDAs not to wait until the new deadline before completing the process.
The commission said it would continue to collaborate with MDAs, PFAs and other stakeholders to raise awareness, facilitate participation and ensure that eligible employees are properly captured.
