The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has extended the deadline for the mandatory online verification and enrolment exercise for eligible federal civil servants to December 31, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement on Tuesday, explaining that the exercise, which commenced in February, was originally scheduled to end on July 31.
According to PenCom, the extension followed requests from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) for more time to allow eligible employees to complete the online enrolment process.
As of July 2026, the commission said MDAs had uploaded records of 62,320 active employees and retirees, but only 31,099 employees had completed the enrolment successfully.
PenCom said the number remained significantly below the estimated 150,000 active federal government employees who are 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.
The commission urged eligible workers and treasury-funded MDAs to take advantage of the additional period and avoid waiting until the final days before completing the process.
EXERCISE TARGETS ACCRUED PENSION RIGHTS
PenCom explained that the exercise is designed to determine the accrued pension rights of eligible employees and establish the outstanding pension liabilities owed by the Federal Government.
“This is essential for determining the Federal Government’s outstanding pension liabilities and making adequate budgetary provisions for their settlement,” the statement reads.
The exercise is being conducted digitally through PenCom’s Contributions and Bond Redemption Application (COBRA), which is used for capturing, validating and processing the required information.
Under the process, MDAs are expected to upload information on eligible employees through the platform. Employees are then required to approach their respective pension fund administrators (PFAs) with the necessary documents to complete their enrolment.
Pension Desk Officers (PDOs), who have been trained by PenCom, are responsible for coordinating the exercise within their organisations and assisting eligible employees throughout the process.
PenCom said completing the exercise early would help determine employees’ accrued pension rights and allow the required funding to be secured from the Federal Government.
“Amounts would be credited to employees’ Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) well ahead of retirement — earning investment returns and boosting retirement benefits,” the statement said.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had, in a circular dated April 27, 2026, directed treasury-funded MDAs to support the exercise and ensure that eligible employees complete the one-time enrolment.
ACCRUED RIGHTS DATE BACK TO 2004
PenCom said the exercise addresses pension liabilities inherited from the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), which operated before Nigeria introduced 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,” PenCom said.
The accrued rights cover pension and gratuity benefits earned by employees from the date of their first appointment up to June 30, 2004.
According to PenCom, the provision applies to active employees of federal government treasury-funded MDAs who were already in service as of June 30, 2004.
The commission said the value of the accrued pension rights is determined through an actuarial valuation process.
PenCom added that it would continue working with MDAs, PFAs and other relevant stakeholders to increase awareness, encourage participation and ensure that all eligible employees are properly captured in the exercise.
Source: PenCom
