The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has announced a sweeping crackdown on employers failing to remit workers’ pension contributions, warning that company directors and senior managers now face possible criminal prosecution under a tougher enforcement regime.

Director-General Omolola Oloworaran, represented by Commissioner for Inspectorate Samuel Chigozie Uwandu at a weekend training for accredited recovery agents in Lagos, revealed that PenCom has recovered N32.27 billion from defaulting employers between June 2012 and September 2025. This includes N15.87 billion in unremitted contributions and N16.4 billion in penalties. In Q3 2025 alone, PenCom clawed back N2.06 billion from 49 employers — its strongest quarterly recovery in years.

“Every unremitted naira represents a broken promise to a Nigerian worker. The era of impunity is over,”  - Oloworaran

Key elements of the tougher stance include:

• A new MoU with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) enabling criminal referrals against company directors and senior officers.
• Expanded data-sharing with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to identify and target defaulters.
• Deployment of enhanced digital tools for real-time tracking, liability computation, and evidence gathering.
• Strengthened powers for accredited recovery agents, now armed with forensic audit and negotiation authority.

The training session emphasized ethical standards, forensic documentation, and the use of upgraded compliance platforms. PenCom described recovery agents as the frontline of its “zero-tolerance” campaign, assuring them of full institutional backing while urging integrity in operations.

Industry observers say the move is long overdue. Despite the Contributory Pension Scheme covering more than 10 million workers, billions of naira in contributions have historically been trapped with employers — particularly in the private sector and some state governments. The threat of personal criminal liability for directors is seen as the sharpest deterrent yet.

PenCom insists the crackdown is critical to restoring public trust in Nigeria’s pension system, which has faced credibility challenges amid repeated defaults. With ICPC collaboration and digital enforcement tools, officials believe the new regime will finally close loopholes that have undermined workers’ retirement security for over a decade.