Most states across the six geopolitical zones in the country are yet to fully implement the Federal Government’s Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), a report by the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) has revealed.
According to the report made available to The Tide, yesterday, only six states and the FCT had fully implemented CPS with regular and up-to-date remittance of pension contributions, establishment of pension bureau and enactment of pension law.
The report, signed by PENCOM spokesman, Peter Aghohowa, said that the six states which had fully keyed into the CPS as at September 2019 were Kaduna, Anambra, Ekiti, Ondo, Edo and Delta.
In the North-Cenral Zone, only FCT had established pension bureau and was up-to-date with remittance of pension contributions, while Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa states which had enacted CPS laws had no pension bureaus in place.
Although Niger State established pension bureau, it suspended implementation of the CPS in April 2015 and had since stopped remitting pension contributions, while Kwara and Plateau were yet to enact CPS law.
Five states in the North-East zone, comprising Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba, were yet to commence remittance of pension contributions while Yobe was still operating Defined Benefits Scheme.
Also in North-East Zone, only Adamawa, Gombe and Taraba states had enacted CPS laws but none was yet to establish pension bureau.
In the North-West Zone, only Kaduna State had fully implemented CPS with regular and up-to-date remittance of pension contributions, establishment of pension bureau, registration of employees with PFAs and consistent funding of accrued rights with 5 per cent of total monthly bill.
Of all the North-West states, only Katsina neither enacted CPS law nor established pension bureau, while Jigawa and Kebbi which had pension bureaus, were only remitting portions of the pension contributions.
Kano without a pension board was deducting pension contributions under the management of the board of trustees and yet to transfer the pension asset to a licensed pension operator.
In the South-East Zone, PENCOM reports that except for Anambra State which was fully complying with the implementation of the CPS scheme, others such as Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states had not keyed into the scheme.
The Commission said that in the South-West zone, Ekiti and Ondo states were remitting pension contributions, while Ogun and Osun states had huge backlogs. Lagos State did not provide information on its remittance, while Oyo State was yet to commence remittance of pension contributions.
According to PENCOM, all the South West States have, however, enacted CPS laws and established pensions bureaus.
In the South-South, Edo and Delta were up-to-date in their pension contributions, while Rivers and Bayelsa states were lagging behind in remittance of pension contributions.
In Rivers, contributions made under the repealed law were being refunded to exempted employees, while Akwa Ibom and Cross River did not even have a CPS law in place, PENCOM said.
The PENCOM spokesman, however, said that the commission did not release the report to undermine or embarrass any state but to intimate employees on the status of their states in terms of their pension contributions.
“With the information provided, workers can hold their states to do the needful in terms of paying their pension up-to-date to guarantee and protect their retirement,” he said.
According to him, the commission will continue to dialogue with the states to do the needful, as the law that established PENCOM does not empowers it to enforce the implementation on the states.