Lokoja, Nigeria – Kogi State is concluding plans to transition from its current Defined Benefits Scheme to a Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), with full implementation expected to begin next year. The move aims to ensure more prompt and efficient access to retirement benefits for state retirees.
Mariam Abedo, Director General of the Kogi State Pension Commission (PENCOM), disclosed this during an engagement with the Special Adviser on Media to the Kogi State Governor, Ismail Isah, in her office in Lokoja. She explained that the preliminary phase, including data collection and registration with Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), has already commenced.
Under the new Contributory Pension Scheme, employees will contribute 8% of their earnings, while the state government will contribute 10%. Mrs. Abedo emphasized that this reform is designed to prevent the delays and challenges previously experienced by pensioners. She stated that since taking office in August 2020, the Commission has cleared a substantial portion of gratuity backlogs dating back to 2002 and has maintained a record of prompt monthly pension payments.
“We are determined to build a pension system that is transparent, responsive, and fully digitized. With the Contributory Pension Scheme, the future of our workers is secure,” she affirmed. The Director General also highlighted the success of the ‘I Am Alive’ biometric verification initiative, which allows pensioners to confirm their status at any commercial bank without traveling to the state capital, describing it as “the easiest and most effective exercise ever introduced” in the state’s pension administration history.
Mrs. Abedo commended Governor Ahmed Ododo for his consistent support for pensioners’ welfare. She noted that the Governor has maintained the regular release of monthly funds for gratuity payments and approved the construction of a new Pension Commission office complex, the Pencom House, in Lokoja, to create a more conducive working environment and strengthen institutional operations. “His Excellency is passionate about pensioners and their wellbeing. Even before he became Governor, he played a key role in addressing challenges in the pension sector, and his support continues to drive the reforms we are implementing,” she said.
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