By David Akinmola
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has announced a tougher compliance regime in the country’s pension industry, warning employers that the non-remittance of workers’ pension contributions will no longer be tolerated as it deepens enforcement across the country.
PenCom Director General, Ms. Omolola Oloworaran, represented by the Commissioner Inspectorate, Samuel Chigozie Uwandu, made the declaration at a Training Workshop for accredited Recovery Agents (RAs) held at the weekend in Lagos, where she reaffirmed the commission’s resolve to clamp down on all forms of pension default.
According to PenCom, a total of N32.27 billion, comprising N15,87 billion in unreitted pension contributions and N16.40 billion in penalties, has been recovered from defaulting employers between June 2012 and September 2025.
The commission also recovered N2.06 billion from 49 employers in the third quarter of 2025 alone, signaling what industry operators describe as the strongest enforcement momentum seen in recent years.
The DG said persistent employer defaults undermine the purpose of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), insisting that PenCom has moved from voluntary persuasion to strict enforcement. “Every unremitted naira represents a broken promise to a Nigerian worker. The era of impunity is over,” she said, noting that Recovery Agents are central to delivering the commission’s compliance strategy.
Industry stakeholders have welcomed the tougher posture. A leading pension governance expert, Adeolu Martins, said PenCom’s stance is “a necessary correction in a system where too many employers have acted with impunity.”
According to him, some organizations have treated pension remittance as an afterthought, a practice that has weakened public trust in the CPS. “This shift is the wake-up call employers can no longer ignore. Pension obligations must now be taken as seriously as taxes and statutory filing,” he said.
Similarly, a senior trustee with a major Pension Fund Administrator, Mrs. Amaka Onwu, described chronic non-remittance as one of the most harmful threats to workers’ long-term financial security. She said the new enforcement wave, particularly the move to hold company directors personally liable, will deter defaults that have long eroded confidence in the system. “When workers hear that their pensions are not remitted for months or years, it destroys trust.
The commission’s firmness will restore that confidence,” she said
Industry analysts also link the new compliance pressure to broader economic implications. Labour market specialist, Dr. Bolaji Fajimi, said unremitted pensions affect not only workers but the wider economy. “Pension funds are long-term capital for infrastructure and national development. When employers withhold these funds, it weakens the financial ecosystem. PenCom’s heightened enforcement supports both worker welfare and macroeconomic planning, “he noted.
At the workshop, PenCom outlined new inter-agency collaborations involving the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and other regulatory bodies. It also disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) will now allow the ICPC to hold directors and managers of recalcitrant employers personally accountable, introducing possible criminal consequences into pension enforcement.
The training featured technical sessions on employer audits, liability computation, negotiation, documentation, evidence management, and the use of enhanced digital compliance tools. Oloworaran urged Recovery Agents to uphold the highest ethical and professional standards as they execute the commission’s broadened mandate, assuring them of full institutional support.
With PenCom preparing to intensify enforcement throughout 2026 and beyond, operators say the new compliance era could significantly reshape employer attitudes across the formal sector, especially among firms with long-standing pension backlogs> Industry stakeholders maintain that the commission’s message is now unmistakable; every outstanding pension entitlement will be pursued, and employers who default must brace for tougher consequences.
