The Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar, has said that the Commission is set to start the online verification and enrolment for prospective retirees of Federal Government Treasury-Funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who are due to retire next year.
The exercise would be held from October 2 to December 31.
To adapt to pension fund administration, she stated that the commission embarked took a proactive step to simplify the process for the retirees.
She said the commission had issued a revised guidance note to Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) on online enrolment to ensure a smooth transition into retirement for the government employees.
She further stated that central to this exercise is the Online Enrolment Application on the PenCom website www.pencom.gov.ng.
Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar stated thus:
“This web-based application empowers prospective retirees with the tools to complete their enrolment conveniently from the comfort of their homes.The application comprises four distinct modules that contribute to the comprehensive pension enrolment process. They include Retiree Registration, PFA Module, MDA Module, and PenCom Module.
“Under the Retiree Registration Module, prospective retirees can register, scan, and upload all the necessary documents, ensuring the accuracy and completeness of their pension information. This innovation drastically reduces the reliance on manual paperwork and minimises the risk of multiple RSA PINs. PFAs are vital in this process. Therefore, they use the PFA Module for their part.The PFAs are responsible for verifying and enrolling prospective retirees, ensuring the submitted information is accurate and consistent. PFAs also guide individuals through the online registration when required.
“Similarly, the MDA Module enables Pension Desk Officers of MDAs to upload relevant information about prospective retirees, fostering transparency and collaboration between government entities and the pension administration system.
“The PenCom Module serves as the final step, validating the records submitted by all parties to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the pension data, thereby adding an extra layer of scrutiny to prevent errors or fraudulent activities.
“It is imperative to note that adopting a digital approach brings numerous benefits, with efficiency and transparency paramount among them. By streamlining the process, prospective retirees can complete their registration and document submission at their convenience, significantly reducing the need for physical visits and bureaucratic bottlenecks. The outcome is timely budgetary provisions by the Federal Government for accrued pension liabilities and a smoother transition into retirement for workers.”