The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has extended the deadline for the mandatory online verification and enrolment of eligible Federal Government workers with accrued pension rights, following low participation in the exercise.
The commission moved the deadline from July 31 to December 31, 2026, giving affected civil servants additional time to complete the process and ensure that their pension records are properly captured.
The exercise is targeted at Federal Government employees who are entitled to accrued pension benefits earned under the former Defined Benefit Scheme before the country transitioned to the Contributory Pension Scheme.
According to PenCom, only 31,099 employees had completed the enrolment process out of an estimated 150,000 active Federal Government workers eligible for the accrued benefits. Although Ministries, Departments and Agencies had uploaded 62,320 employee records as of July, less than half of the records had progressed to completed enrolment.
The low level of completion prompted the commission to extend the deadline and encourage eligible workers to take advantage of the additional period to complete the exercise.
The verification and enrolment programme commenced in February 2026 as part of efforts to determine the accrued pension rights of employees who moved from the former Defined Benefit Scheme to the Contributory Pension Scheme.
Under Section 15(1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014, employees who transitioned from the old pension arrangement are entitled to benefits accrued under the Defined Benefit Scheme up to June 30, 2004.
The accrued rights represent pension benefits earned by workers before the introduction of the Contributory Pension Scheme. Establishing accurate records is therefore important to determining the amounts due to eligible employees and ensuring that the benefits are properly accounted for.
The exercise is being implemented through an online platform, with eligible workers expected to provide the required information and complete the necessary verification procedures. Ministries, Departments and Agencies are also responsible for uploading employee records and supporting the process.
PenCom has urged workers who have not commenced the enrolment process to do so before the new deadline. The commission also appealed to employees who began the process but failed to complete it to return to the platform and finalise their submissions.
The extension is expected to give both employees and their respective MDAs more time to address outstanding records and resolve challenges that may have prevented some workers from completing the process within the initial timeframe.
The development comes against the background of longstanding efforts by the Federal Government and pension authorities to address outstanding liabilities arising from the transition between Nigeria’s former pension system and the Contributory Pension Scheme.
PenCom had previously warned that accurate verification and documentation were necessary for determining accrued pension rights and facilitating eventual payment to eligible beneficiaries.
The commission’s decision to extend the deadline therefore provides another opportunity for affected civil servants to regularise their records and participate fully in the exercise.
Eligible employees have been advised not to wait until the new deadline approaches but to complete the verification and enrolment process as soon as possible.
