PenCom Recovers N32 Billion from Defaulting Employers, Strengthens Pension Compliance

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has successfully recovered N32.27 billion from employers who failed to remit pension contributions from their employees’ salaries. The recovered funds, collected through newly accredited recovery agents, include N15.87 billion in principal contributions and N16.40 billion in penalties from defaults spanning June 2012 to September 2025.

PenCom’s recovery drive has shown particular momentum in recent months. In the third quarter of 2025 alone, the commission recovered N2.06 billion—N775 million in principal contributions and N1.27 billion in penalties—from 49 defaulting employers. This reflects a sustained enforcement effort aimed at ensuring employers comply with Nigeria’s pension laws.

During a recent training workshop for accredited recovery agents held in Lagos, PenCom Director General, Ms. Omolola Oloworaran, emphasized the commission’s commitment to a “zero tolerance” policy for pension defaults. The workshop, attended on her behalf by the Commissioner of Inspectorate, Samuel Chigozie Uwandu, focused on equipping recovery agents with the tools to enforce compliance effectively.

Oloworaran highlighted that every unremitted naira represents a broken promise to Nigerian workers. “This Commission has moved from promoting voluntary compliance to mandating enforced compliance,” she said, stressing the critical role of recovery agents in safeguarding workers’ retirement savings under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The training also marked a nationwide push to ensure persistent violators of the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014 remit outstanding contributions within the legally mandated seven working days after salary payment. PenCom’s proactive measures demonstrate a renewed effort to strengthen Nigeria’s social contract with workers and protect their long-term financial security.

source: This day