November 2024
12Nov

Nigeria. Micro Pension Subscribers To Get Free Health Insurance Cover

There are strong indications that Micro Pension Plan(MPP) subscribers in the country will soon get free health insurance cover as part of benefits of subscribing to the micro pension scheme. To this end, LEADERSHIP learnt that the National Pension Commission (PenCom) has had meetings with health insurance stakeholders, comprising the National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA) and some Health Management Organisations(HMOs) on the possibility of procuring this cover for subscribers of the scheme. Hence, the cost of the annual basic health cover...

November 12, 2024
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September 2024
18Sep

Nigerian pension assets soar 4.17% to N20.48tn in Q2’2024

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has maintained an upward growth trajectory as the contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) recorded a total asset of N20.48 trillion in the second quarter of 2024, marking a 4.17 per cent  increase from N19.66 trillion it recorded in Q1 2024. According to PenCom, the number of pension contributions increased from 89,061 in the first quarter of 2024  to 100,063 in Q2 2024. It noted that remittance of pension contributions increased by 20.26 per cent from N314.17...

September 18, 2024
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July 2024
09Jul

Nigeria. Pension fund assets increased to N20.22trn in May 2024, says PenCom

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) says total pension fund assets increased to N20.22 trillion in May 2024. This is an increase of 2.23 percent compared to the N19.78 trillion recorded in April 2024, according to PenCom’s data on the pension funds industry portfolio for the period ended May 31. The commission’s data showed that 63.22 percent or N12.78 trillion of the total funds were invested in federal government securities, comprising bonds and treasury bills. PenCom said about 10.83 percent of the funds were invested in...

July 9, 2024
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June 2024
20Jun

Nigeria. Economic hardship: Workers swoop on their pension contributions

In apparent response to the biting hardship in the economy, the number of workers that made withdrawals from their voluntary contributions under their pension savings increased by 87.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2024, Q1’24. Specifically, the number of workers that withdrew from their voluntary contributions went up to 1,302 in Q1’24, from 694 recorded in the preceding quarter, Q4’23. Also, the value of funds withdrawn from the voluntary contributions increased by 160 per cent to N3.9 billion from...

June 20, 2024
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May 2024
27May

Nigeria. Pension assets declines amid low patronage

Pension assets have fallen by N90 billion in the first quarter of the year, from N19.75 trillion to N19.66 trillion at the end of the first quarter (Q1), a situation attributed to low market patronage. The report was contained in data released by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) on their website. Explaining further, the report stated that the equities market attracted N2.3 trillion of the fund, having risen from N1.77 trillion in December 2023. The development, according to PenCom, translated to N530...

May 27, 2024
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22May

Nigeria. Retired police officers protest unpaid pension in Abuja

RETIRED police officers in Nigeria under the contributory pension scheme, on Tuesday, May 21, expressed their displeasure over several months of unpaid pensions. The retired officers stormed the National Assembly in Abuja, to protest the “severe hardships” they had faced due to the alleged failure of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) to pay their entitlements. The retirees representing various state chapters called on the federal government to remove them from the Contributory Pension Scheme. The retirees, seen with various placards, lamented being...

May 22, 2024
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17May

Nigerian Government Denies It’s Attempting to Illegally Access Workers’ Pension Funds

In response to circulating rumors, the Federal Government has emphatically denied any intentions to illegally access the hard-earned savings and pension contributions of workers. This clarification comes amidst concerns raised by various quarters regarding the safety and security of pension funds. The Finance Minister, Wale Edun addressed the issue, stating, “The pension industry, like most financial industries, is highly regulated. There are rules. There are limitations about what pension money can be invested in and what it cannot be invested in.” He...

May 17, 2024
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06May

Nigeria’s Liabilities to Retirees Under Contributory Pension Scheme Hits N314.58bn

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has disclosed that the federal government’s total liability from the implementation of the pension increases in 2007 and 2010 as well as the 2019 consequential adjustment for retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) stood at N314.58 billion in 2023. This came as PenCom has further sought approval for an increase in pension rates for pensioners under the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS), following the recent increase in salaries for employees of treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and...

May 6, 2024
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April 2024
19Apr

Job losses has Nigerians turn to pensions for lifeline

Pension savings have become an immediate lifeline for Nigerians as rising unemployment forced more people to draw on their balances for day-to-day expenses. This development has seen workers in both the public and private sectors who lost their jobs fall back on pension savings to survive current economic hardships. Data from the National Pension Commission shows that at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, a total 10,307 Retirement Savings Account (RSA) holders, otherwise called contributors, requested to access 25 percent of their balances...

April 19, 2024
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04Apr

Nigeria. Abia State Government to Introduce Contributory Pension Scheme for Civil Servants

The Abia State Government, under the leadership of Governor Otti, has announced plans to implement a Pension Contributory Scheme for its civil servants. Mr. Okey Kanu, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, made this revelation during a press briefing following the State Executive Meeting held at the Government House, Umuahia, on Tuesday. According to Kanu, the state government has made significant progress in preparing for the transition to the new pension scheme. He stated, “The state government has concluded plans to...

April 4, 2024
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