The Federal Government says it is intensifying efforts to improve participation in the ongoing mandatory verification and enrolment exercise for civil servants with accrued pension rights.

In a statement by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) yesterday, it said that it is conducting a one-time nationwide Online Verification and Enrolment Exercise for all active employees of treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who were employed before 30 June 2004.

“The exercise, which commenced on 2 February, 2026, and will end on 31 July, 2026, is aimed at capturing accurate and complete data on eligible workers. This will support the timely payment of their accrued pension rights under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

“The initiative is part of the Federal 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 accrued 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),” the Commission said.

PenCom added that in a circular issued on 27 April 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 Federal Government’s outstanding pension liabilities and making adequate budget provisions for their settlement,”

PenCom also said that it 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.

The first phase, which ran from 2 February to 31 March 2026, covered employees expected to retire between January 2027 and December 2029.

The ongoing second phase, from 1 April to 31 July 2026, is for employees who will retire from January 2030 onwards.

PenCom noted that the phased approach will improve coordination, enhance monitoring and ensure that all eligible employees are captured within the timeline.

The Commission further warned that failure to take part in the exercise may complicate the processing of accrued pension rights at retirement and could lead to delays in accessing benefits. (Daily Trust)