The Director General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Ms. Omolola Oloworaran, has raised alarm over widespread non-compliance with the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014 by media organisations in Nigeria, revealing that newspaper owners owe journalists over N720 million unpaid pension contributions.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the President of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Mr. Kabiru Yusuf, in Abuja recently , Ms. Oloworaran described the findings as “very troubling” and called for urgent collaboration between PenCom and newspaper proprietors to enforce compliance across the sector.
PenCom acknowledged the deep value of the role of the media in shaping public discourse, and said it is disheartening that many organisations within the media are failing to meet a fundamental obligation to their employees.
The Director General said PRA 2014 mandates all employers to remit pension contributions for their employees monthly, within seven days of salary payment.
However, she said PenCom’s investigations show that many newspaper houses have ignored this obligation, with arrears totalling over N720 milliiaon.
Ms. Oloworaran informed NPAN that PenCom is not seeking to penalise erring organisations at this stage, but prefers a collaborative approach to achieving sector-wide compliance.
She added that PenCom has been engaging employers across industries and recently held discussions with the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) to drive awareness and compliance in newspaper organisations,.
While noting the overall poor compliance within the industry, the DG singled out Daily Trust for commendation, describing the paper as a “leading example” for consistently meeting its pension obligations since 2015.
Responding, NPAN President, Kabiru Yusuf, acknowledged the pension compliance issues in newspaper organisations in Nigeria, but urged PenCom to understand the dire financial situation of the media industry.
NPAN President said the reality is that many newspapers in Nigeria are struggling to even pay staff salaries, let alone pension contributions, adding that only a few are managing to stay afloat, and even among them, there is often reluctance to part with money for statutory payments like tax and pensions.
He welcomed PenCom’s engagement efforts and proposed a broader industry dialogue through the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), a coalition that includes NPAN, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). Yusuf suggested that PenCom participate in an expanded meeting of stakeholders in Lagos this year, where the challenges of compliance and potential solutions can be jointly addressed.
Ms. Oloworaran agreed to the proposal, expressing hope that such a forum would serve as a meaningful step toward sustainable pension reform compliance in the media.
“We are not focused on being punitive because the law allows us to sanction. That is not what we are looking at. I believe we can work together to get all these media houses to make the necessary contributions towards the financial security of their workers,” the DG said.
The meeting marked a renewed effort by PenCom to hold employers in the media sector accountable and compliant with the PRA 2014.

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) are collaborating to introduce a Gratuity Framework for civil servants in treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
This development followed a high-level meeting held recently in Abuja, when the Director General of PenCom, Ms. Omolola Oloworaran, paid a courtesy visit to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack.
Speaking about boosting retirement benefits, Ms. Oloworaran informed the Head of Service that PenCom is working on modalities for the establishment of a Gratuity Scheme, in line with Section 4(4)(a) of the Pension Reform Act 2014 for retiring employees of Federal Government treasury-funded MDAs.
The PenCom boss said this has been estimated to cost the federal government only about N30 billion per annum as determined by PenCom and confirmed by the 2024 Stakeholders Committee on outstanding pension liabilities, if retiring federal employees are paid 100% of their last gross annual remuneration.
She said the amount represented a modest but impactful intervention to improve the welfare of those who have served the nation with dedication.
Furthermore, the DG of PenCom highlighted the persistent issue of delayed pension payments due to delay in payment of Accrued Rights. She noted that previous collaboration between PenCom and the Office of the Head of Service yielded significant progress, including securing a Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval for a N758 billion bond to clear outstanding pension liabilities under the CPS.
Ms. Oloworaran unveiled a one-time, comprehensive online enrolment exercise to establish the accrued pension rights liability of all serving federal employees of treasury-funded MDAs who were in service prior to June 2004. She said this online verification and enrolment exercise, which will commence from August 2025, will enable PenCom present to the Federal Government the amount so determined with a view to possibly raise a Bond to settle the entire liability once and for all.
The DG added that the determined accrued pension rights for every eligible civil servant will be credited into their individual Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs).
On the benefits of the enrolment, the PenCom DG said retirees will start earning returns on these funds, and the system becomes shielded from political transitions, as Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) will take full control.
In addition, Ms. Oloworaran told the Head of Service that PenCom is developing a digital application to streamline the enrolment process. PenCom plans to deploy the online application by August 2025. She sought OHCSF’s support to issue a circular directing all MDAs to participate in the enrolment and submit the necessary documentation.
Speaking on the challenge of uncredited pension contributions among MDAs not enrolled in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). Ms. Oloworaran said that contributions are often made without accompanying schedules
To address this, the DG said PenCom has introduced a new Pension Contribution Remittance System that requires all employers to henceforth, utilise selected Payment Solution Support Providers (PSSPs) for the remittance of their employees’ contributions. This ensures accurate and prompt remittance of pension contributions into respective RSAs of employees
The DG requested the Head of Service’s assistance in issuing directives to IPPIS Office in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) and MDAs not on IPPIS, such as tertiary institutions, self-funding agencies, and others to henceforth, utilise selected PSSPs for remittance of monthly contributions, effective June 2025,
In response, the HCSF, Mrs. Walson-Jack, expressed her full support for all the initiatives and commended PenCom for its proactive approach to improving pension administration. She pledged to issue the necessary circulars to MDAs and to collaborate closely with PenCom in developing the modalities and securing the approvals for the Gratuity Scheme.
Mrs. Walson-Jack said civil servants have been calling for gratuity and expressed her full backing for the proposed Gratuity Scheme.
To cement the partnership, PenCom and OHCSF agreed to establish a Standing Committee to work on the outlined reforms and address any emerging issues in the future.

In order to ensure the success of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme, the Brown Card is now automatically included in all motor insurance policies issued in Nigeria, regardless of the type of coverage, says the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).
Nigeria’s Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive of NAICOM, Mr. Olusegun Omosehin, who stated this at the first zonal meeting of the ECOWAS Brown Card on Friday in Abuja, also highlighted other new initiatives introduced by Nigeria to make the scheme successful.
He said that the automatic inclusion of the Brown Card in all motor insurance policies ensures that cross-border coverage is accessible and seamless for all categories of motorists, reinforcing the Scheme’s universality and inclusiveness.
The theme of the meeting was: “50 Years of Sub-Regional Integration: Contribution of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme to the Mechanism of Free Movement of People, Goods and Services within the Sub-region.”
As the national enforcement of Motor Insurance commenced in Nigeria on February 1, 2025, to ensure all motorists carry valid motor insurance policies, he affirmed that this development, enforced in collaboration with security agencies and transport regulators, directly complements the objectives of the Brown Card Scheme, ensuring that insured motorists on Nigerian roads are also compliant with ECOWAS regulations.
Speaking on the digitalisation of insurance operations, the NAICOM boss informed that Nigeria is making significant investments in the digital transformation of the insurance ecosystem, supporting real-time validation of motor insurance, automated claims tracking, and improved transparency. He added that “These innovations enhance the efficiency of Brown Card operations, ensuring a better user experience for motorists, law enforcement, and border officials”.
Omosehin also said that the Nigerian National Bureau has developed a well-structured process for managing claims involving Nigerian motorists, both as issuing and handling Bureau, stressing that “This includes enhanced communication with insurers, a fast-tracked internal validation system, and increased accountability across all claims touchpoints”.
Besides, he pointed out that national campaigns and sensitisation efforts have been launched to educate motorists, border officials, transport unions, and the insuring public on the relevance, benefits, and obligations under the Scheme, noting that “This helps build understanding and reinforces compliance from the ground up”.
Omosehin emphasised that “these efforts, taken together, affirm Nigeria’s deep-rooted commitment to the sustainability and modernisation of the ECOWAS Brown Card Scheme”.
As a regulator and as a representative on the Executive Committee of the
Council of Bureaux, the NAICOM boss maintained that “the Scheme remains a unique and irreplaceable instrument in our regional integration toolbox”.
As the various representatives proceed with the legal deliberations at the meeting, he urged them to always remember that their policies ultimately serve people: families, transporters, travellers, and communities whose lives are impacted daily by their work.
Apart from evaluating the technical texts of the ECOWAS Brown Card, he enjoined them to also reimagine a more agile, inclusive, and forward-thinking Brown Card Scheme, one that aligns with the future of African integration.