The Contributory Pension and Happy Retirement Advocacy (COPEHRA) NGO has urged the new administration to prioritize the development of adaptive and inclusive pension administration.
COPHERA’s Legal Adviser, Oyiminu Audu, made the appeal during a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
She expressed concern that issues of pension or retirement were not given much priority in the manifestos of the presidential candidates.
Audu stated that a common element of all presidential candidates’ mandates was an economic boost, stating that this was a major factor in any society’s well-being.
She expressed hope that the contributions of the frontline contenders in enacting laws for reform of the sector in their jurisdictions would usher in the desired growth in the industry.
The legal adviser said that given the importance of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), there was a need to ensure that the industry became all-inclusive and proactive.
She also called on the incoming Federal Government to increase employer contributions for officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) by 100 percent to ensure a robust Retirement Savings Account (RSA) for them.
“We call on all workers in the informal and semi-formal sectors to key into the Micro Pension Plan (MPP).
“This initiative expanded the implementation of the CPS to the informal sectors such as low-income earners, self-employed, SMEs, and artisans,” she said.
Audu urged state governments to key into the noble scheme of CPS for the happiness of their retirees.
She commended the National Pension Commission (NPC) management for their continuous reform and vigilance to safeguard funds set aside for payments in the country.
The objective of the NGO is to advocate sustainable and happy retirement for workers.
This it said would be done by creating awareness among the public and private sector practitioners on the value of saving through CPS.