Joy Agwunobi
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has launched a new era of zero tolerance for pension defaults, placing accredited Recovery Agents at the forefront of enforcing compliance across Nigeria’s pension industry.
The announcement came during a recent intensive training workshop for Recovery Agents in Lagos, aimed at equipping them to tackle persistent defaulters with precision and authority.
Speaking at the workshop, Omolola Oloworaran, director general of PenCom,represented by Samuel Chigozie Uwandu, commissioner, inspectorate department, said the Commission is moving from a voluntary compliance model to one of enforced accountability.
The workshop coincides with a renewed nationwide drive to recover unpaid pension contributions and penalties from employers who violate the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014, which mandates contributions be remitted within seven working days of salary payment.
PenCom’s Recovery Agents audit defaulting employers, compute outstanding liabilities, issue demand notices, and facilitate recovery. Since 2012, they have helped recover N32.27 billion, including N15.87 billion in principal contributions and N16.40 billion in penalties. In the third quarter of 2025 alone, 49 employers paid N2.06 billion in overdue contributions and penalties.
Oloworaran stressed that persistent defaults threaten the purpose of the Contributory Pension Scheme.
“Every unremitted naira is a broken promise to a Nigerian worker. The era of impunity is over,” she said.
The Commission is strengthening enforcement through partnerships with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), enabling accountability that extends beyond PenCom and may carry criminal implications for recalcitrant employers.
The Lagos workshop also focused on enhancing Recovery Agents’ skills in audits, liability computation, evidence management, negotiation, and use of digital compliance tools.
Oloworaran urged Recovery Agents to act with the highest professional and ethical standards. Stating: “You are the ambassadors of this new resolve. Be relentless in securing what is rightfully due to Nigerian workers.”
She assured the agents that PenCom will continue to provide full institutional support to ensure that every outstanding pension contribution is recovered, reinforcing the Commission’s commitment to protecting workers’ retirement savings and upholding the integrity of Nigeria’s pension system.
