Assets under the Contributory Pension Scheme rose by N842.73bn in the first half of 2022 to hit N14.27tn as of the end of June.
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Figures obtained from the National Pension Commission on its ‘Unaudited report on pension funds industry portfolio for the period ended 30 June 2022; Approved Existing Schemes, Closed Pension Fund Administrators and RSA funds (Including unremitted contributions @CBN & legacy funds) have shown.
The data showed that N9tn of the total funds was invested in Federal Government securities, comprising bonds and treasury bills.
Other investment portfolios where the funds were invested include domestic and foreign ordinary shares; corporate debt securities comprising corporate bonds, corporate infrastructure bonds, corporate green bonds, and supranational bonds.
According to PenCom, the total number of RSA holders stood at 9,795,957 during the period under review.
The Pension Reform Act, which led to the CPS, was inaugurated in 2004.
It provides a contributory arrangement in which the employer and employee contribute to the workers’ RSAs.
The funds which are kept by the Pension Fund Custodians are managed by the Pension Fund Administrators.
The Director, Centre for Pension Right Advocacy, Ivor Takor, said, “The funds are invested by the Pension Fund Administrators on behalf of the workers, based on guidelines issued by the Regulator.
“The investment is carried out with two principal objectives, which are adequate return on investment and the safety of the fund.”
According to the Pension Funds Operators Association of Nigeria, the CPS has helped to foster savings culture in Nigeria.
The Chief Executive Officer, PenOp, Oguche Agudah, said prior to the enactment of the act, Nigeria did not have large pools of domestic savings.
He said, “Many Nigerians do not have any other form of savings, except through this Contributory Pension Scheme. What we should be doing as a nation is to encourage more of these savings rather than looking to dismantle the system. This is probably the only form of savings most Nigerian workers are able to put aside for their retirement years
“As a matter of fact, what we need to promote, and the pension industry is leading on that, is to encourage more workers to add to their statutory deductions while working, as this would enable them shore up their balances over time.
