 has revealed that newspaper organisations in Nigeria owe retired journalists more than N1.3 billion in unremitted pension contributions.){kind=link}
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has revealed that newspaper organisations in Nigeria owe retired journalists more than N1.3 billion in unremitted pension contributions.
This was disclosed by PenCom’s Director-General, Omolola Oloworaran, during a recent visit to the Nigerian Press Council (NPC), according to a statement issued on Tuesday.
Oloworaran expressed concern over the widespread disregard for the Pension Reform Act 2014 (PRA 2014) among media companies.
The Act requires employers to remit monthly pension contributions into employees’ Retirement Savings Accounts within seven days of paying salaries.
She noted that many media outlets have failed to comply with this provision, prompting PenCom to assign recovery agents to audit affected organisations and calculate the outstanding pension liabilities and penalties.
To tackle the issue, PenCom and the NPC have initiated a partnership aimed at urging newspaper companies to settle their pension debts.
Oloworaran stressed that journalists, who serve as watchdogs of society, deserve to retire with dignity and should not be left vulnerable in old age due to employers’ negligence. She also called on the NPC to help promote compliance across the media industry.
In response, NPC Executive Secretary Dili Ezughah reaffirmed the council’s support and pledged to escalate the matter to key stakeholders, including the Nigeria Union of Journalists and the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
He described the non-payment of pension contributions as a serious challenge affecting the welfare of journalists nationwide.