Workers of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) on Tuesday called for their re-enrolment into the Contributory Pension Scheme, two years after a law exempted them from the scheme.
Their demand was made known at a stakeholder engagement session on the review of the Pension Reform Act, 2014, organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Pensions in Abuja.
The Clerk of the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, in a memorandum submitted to the Committee, disclosed that the Service was seeking to return to the CPS.
Ogunlana said management had reconsidered its position despite the establishment of a separate pension board.
The National Assembly Service Pensions Board (Establishment) Act, signed in April 2023 under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, had created an independent pension board for Assembly staff, effectively exempting them from the PRA 2014.
However, the implementation of that law has yet to commence.
Speaking at the opening of the session, Chairman of the House Committee on Pensions, Hussaini Jalo, said the review of the PRA was necessary to address emerging issues and reflect current realities.
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He urged stakeholders to highlight specific areas requiring amendment.
The engagement was attended by key stakeholders including the National Pension Commission, the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria, the Military Pensions Board, and the Nigeria Police Force, among others.
In its submission, PenCom said it supported the proposed review and recommended revisiting the resolutions reached during stakeholder consultations in 2022.
The Commission also backed amendments to Section 7(1) and (2) of the PRA to improve retirement benefits and lump sum payouts.
PenCom further pledged to collaborate with both the House and Senate Committees to ensure a smooth and comprehensive amendment process.
Also speaking, a member of the Committee, Oluwole Oke, cautioned against hasty amendments and stressed the importance of strengthening the regulatory role of PenCom.
Oke underscored the need to strengthen PenCom’s regulatory capacity while emphasising the National Assembly’s support in advancing reforms that would guarantee a dignified and secure retirement for every Nigerian worker.
In its presentation, PTAD called for its formal recognition as a legal corporate entity in the proposed amendments.
The Directorate’s Executive Secretary, Tolulope Odunaiya, said such recognition would enhance its operational effectiveness.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of PenOp, Oguche Agudah, said the PRA was long overdue for a review due to critical developments in the pension sector.
He explained that the review would support sustainability, regulatory independence, and wider coverage, noting that only six states currently had full CPS compliance.
He said, “The review is for sustainability and economic development so that the pension sector operators can continue investing and also to ensure the independence of the regulator, which is the National Pension Commission.”
Agudah stressed the need for pension remittances to be done through approved platforms to enhance transparency and accountability in the sector.
