The Federal Government has intensified efforts to boost participation in the ongoing mandatory online verification and enrolment exercise for treasury-funded civil servants employed before June 30, 2004.
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) is conducting the one-time nationwide exercise to capture accurate records of eligible workers and ensure the timely payment of their accrued pension rights under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The exercise, which began on February 2, 2026, will end on July 31, 2026.
The verification targets employees who transitioned from the old Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) to the CPS after the 2004 pension reform.
Under Section 15(1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014, such workers are entitled to accrued pension rights—benefits earned before the CPS came into effect.
To settle these obligations, the law established the Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
In a circular dated April 27, 2026, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, directed all treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure full compliance.
She stressed that the exercise is critical for determining the Federal Government’s pension liabilities and making adequate budgetary provisions for settlement.
To improve efficiency and eliminate delays associated with manual processes, PenCom has deployed a fully digital system known as the Contributions and Bond Redemption Application (COBRA).
The platform supports real-time data capture, biometric verification, and cross-checking of employment records to improve accuracy and prevent errors that could delay pension payments after retirement.
The verification is being carried out in phases.
The first phase, held between February 2 and March 31, 2026, covered workers expected to retire between January 2027 and December 2029.
The second and ongoing phase, running from April 1 to July 31, 2026, is for employees retiring from January 2030 onwards.
PenCom says the phased rollout is designed to reduce system congestion, improve coordination, and ensure all eligible workers are captured.
Despite the structured process, participation has remained low, prompting stronger directives from the Federal Government.
MDAs are required to upload details of eligible staff on the COBRA platform, while affected employees must visit their Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) with the required documents to complete verification.
Pension Desk Officers trained by PenCom are expected to coordinate the process and guide employees within their organisations.
PenCom assured workers that participation will enable accurate computation of accrued pension rights and help government make adequate provisions for seamless payment of retirement benefits.
With the July 31 deadline fast approaching, the Federal Government has urged Permanent Secretaries and heads of MDAs to intensify awareness and ensure full staff participation.
Failure to complete the exercise could delay access to pension benefits at retirement.
Government says full compliance is essential to securing the retirement future of affected public servants.
