ABUJA: The Chairman of the Contributory Pension and Happy Retirement Advocacy (COPEHRA), Mr Sani Mustapha, has said that retirees in Nigeria are increasingly receiving their pension benefits promptly upon retirement, provided their documentation is properly completed.
Mustapha stated this in an interview with journalists on Tuesday, noting that sustained reforms in pension administration have significantly improved the timeliness of benefit payments.
According to him, enhanced regulatory oversight, improved employer compliance and the deployment of digital platforms for pension processing have reduced the delays that previously characterised pension disbursement.
He explained that under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), retirees now access their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) balances through either programmed withdrawals or annuities shortly after completing documentation and verification processes.
Mustapha advised employees to work closely with their Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to ensure all records are in order well ahead of retirement.
He stressed that timely payment of retirement benefits is critical to the welfare and dignity of senior citizens, adding that predictable post-retirement income reduces poverty, improves access to healthcare and promotes economic stability.
The COPEHRA chairman also urged employers, particularly in the public sector and among small and medium-scale enterprises, to sustain prompt remittance of pension contributions to consolidate the gains recorded so far.
He commended the Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mrs Omolola Oloworaran, for driving reforms in the pension industry.
Meanwhile, a retiree, Hajiya Amina Aliyu, said she retired in November 2025 and had since received all her entitlements.
“I worked closely with my PFA and ensured that all my documents were intact. I was also given the option to choose between programmed withdrawals and annuities,” she said.
Aliyu noted that some of her colleagues were yet to receive their benefits due to documentation issues and praised PenCom for reforms that prioritise the interests of senior citizens.
