July 2017

Nigeria. Social Rights Project challenged to prove pension allegation

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Tuesday issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Social-Economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP) to prove he still receives pensions. He said SERAP must make public details or proof of pension and any other remuneration alleged to be enjoyed by him from the Ekiti State government since leaving office as governor of the state in 2014. He said in the alternative, the SERAP should publicly apologise to him for including his name...

June 2017

Nigeria. NLC asks Cross River to account for N31b bailout fund

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, to account for the N31.1 billion bailout fund the state received from the Federal Government. The Organised Labour in the state had on Monday resumed a total strike it suspended on May 30 demanding the payment of arrears of gratuity, release of promotion letters and many others, saying the Paris fund refund and the bailout funds were meant for payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities and...

Nigeria. Pension Authority to end Annuity Funds Controversy

The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and the National Pension Commission(PenCom) are making frantic moves to resolve the controversy surrounding the N167.8 billion Annuity Funds Arrangement, LEADERSHIP Friday can exclusively reveal. It was gathered that the two regulators met recently to deliberate on grey areas, a parley which would lead to the release of a framework that will regulate the administration of Annuity Business in the country. The framework known as Joint Service Agreement, according to findings, will explain in details how...

May 2017

Nigeria. Not yet independence for Pension Reforms

Before the advent of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in 2004, it was a common view seeing public officials shedding tears at public functions decrying the plights of pensioners. With the implementation of the Pension Reforms Act 2004 by the Federal Government more than a decade ago, the road may have not been completely smooth even though it is a radical departure from the past defined benefit system. The anxiety over the utilisation of pension assets since the arrival of the...

Nigeria’s pension fund calls authority to increase coverage

The Interim Chairman of the Management Committee of the First Guarantee Pensions Limited Comrade Issa Aremu has called on the new management of the National Pension Commission (Pencom) to increase contributory pension scheme enrollment figure. He made this call at a news conference in Abuja. Aremu, who is also the General Secretary of National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, noted that the current enrolment of less than seven million subscribers in the National Pension Commission was...

Nigeria. ‘First Guarantee Pension Board is Ready to Resume Business’

The Board and Management of First Guarantee Pension Limited, one of the licensed Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) in Nigeria, said owners of the company are ready to resume normal business operations, six years after suspension of the company’s former board and management by the insurance sector regulator, the National Pension Commission (PenCom). Vice Chairman of the company, Nze Chidi Duru, who stated this during a courtesy visit to THISDAY Newspapers, said that the board is ready to take back the...

Nigeria. State Government of Uyo suspends payments of pensions for retired Civil Servants

AKWA Ibom State pensioners have decried non-payment of their pensions and gratuities despite recent bailouts and Paris Clubs refunds, pleading with the state government to pay their entitlements. It was gathered that from August 2015 till January 2017, retired civil servants have not been paid their gratuity and pension arrears, due to perceived embargo on the payment of gratuities and pensions by the state government. One of the pensioners claimed that from January 2017 till date, the total amount of...

Sustainable finance, financial regulators, and the changing landscape in Nigeria

Today, Kodak is gone because it did not pay close attention to the threat posed by the smartphone technology to its business. It did not adapt to the changing nature of its business environment. The rest now is history. Sustainability is the potential new threat, if ignored or taken for granted. Sustainability has become a new mantra, a philosophy of sorts. It however means different things to different people. If one takes the literary meaning of the word, it simply...

April 2017

Nigeria. All Eyes on Dikko, New PenCom DG

As Aliyu Dikko assumes office as the new PenCom DG, Nigerian workers and pensioners are expectant that the seasoned banker and experienced finance manager would bring his wealth of experience to bear in resolving pending issues in their overall interest, writes Ebere Nwoji As the new Director General, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Aliyu Dikko, takes over the mantle of leadership from Chinelo Anohu – Amazu, a number of tasks are awaiting his immediate actions. Some of these are – implementation of...

Nigeria’s PenCom General Director hands affairs over

A new chapter in the affairs of the National Pension Commission, PenCom, opened yesterday, after the erstwhile Director-General, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, handed over the affairs of the Commission to the Head of Corporate Responsibility, Aisha Dahiru-Umar. PenCom is the industry regulator overseeing assets of more than N6 trillion of pension assets in the country. The handover followed the arrival of her disengagement letter last Friday which was officially delivered to her. As reported by Vanguard yesterday, her removal was effected through...