As the year comes to an end, it is a perfect moment to pause and review our progress, especially our finances and pensions. While this write-up focuses on your pension, the steps shared can also apply to your overall financial health.
Many people, especially younger earners, often view their pension as a distant concern. However, your pension is one of the ways to create and shape your desired financial future today.
Here are some steps to help you review your pension fund performance this year and create your desired future in the New Year:
1. Review Your Pension Contributions for the Year
Take time to go through your pension contributions for the year and ensure every month is accounted for. Check for omissions or discrepancies in remittances, and address any issues immediately so that your Retirement Savings Account (RSA) remains up to date and continues to earn optimum returns.
2. Evaluate Your Fund Performance
Your pension is an investment, so it is important to understand how it performed this year. Review your RSA statement to see how your fund has grown, whether it aligns with your age and risk appetite, and whether switching fund types could offer better long-term returns. To review the various pension fund types.
3. Consider Making Additional Contributions
Boost your savings through the Personal Pension Plan (PPP), which allows you to make voluntary additional contributions. Thanks to compounding interest, even small, consistent voluntary contributions can increase your pension balance significantly over time.
Your additional contributions also enjoy the same returns as your regular pension and could also help reduce your tax liabilities.
4. Set Clear Goals for 2026
Reflect on your desired financial future and how well your current savings align with it. Break long-term goals into yearly targets, note this year’s closing value, set your desired closing value for next year, calculate how much you need to save to reach it, and consider starting an additional pension savings plan (Personal Pension Plan) to help achieve your goals.
Your pension is a powerful tool for your future, and the effort you put in today shapes the comfort you will enjoy tomorrow. Take time this December to review your progress and plan intentionally for 2026; your future self will thank you!
Pencom Commences Nationwide Pension Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has launched a nationwide customer satisfaction survey aimed at assessing how well the industry is serving contributors and retirees.
The survey will help the Commission identify gaps in service delivery, improve customer experience across the pension industry, and ensure that contributors receive timely, accurate, and reliable support. This initiative forms part of PenCom’s broader commitment to enhancing trust, transparency, and efficiency in the Contributory Pension Scheme.
Pension Coverage Grows As RSA Enrolment Nears 11 Million
Nigeria’s Retirement Savings Account (RSA) enrolment is approaching 11 million registered contributors, reflecting increased participation in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The steady growth reflects rising awareness of retirement planning and expanding coverage, driven by regulatory reforms, digital onboarding channels, and ongoing sensitisation efforts. The increase also strengthens the long-term sustainability of the pension system, as more workers actively prepare for a secure financial future.
Monetary Policy Rate
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) maintained a cautious stance by keeping the MPR at 27.00% and adjusting the asymmetric corridor to +50/-450bps. It also retained the CRR for DMBs at 45%, CRR for merchant banks at 16%, and liquidity ratio at 30%, alongside the 75% CRR on non-TSA public deposits.
The Committee’s decisions were guided by ongoing disinflation, with headline inflation easing to 16.05% in October from 18.02% in September.
FX stability, stronger capital inflows, and a healthier external position further supported the MPC’s outlook. Overall, the stance aims to consolidate macroeconomic stability while anchoring inflation expectations.
Inflation
Nigeria’s inflation rate continued its downward trajectory in October 2025, extending the disinflationary trend observed in recent months. Headline inflation slowed to 16.05% year-on-year, down from 18.02% in September, reflecting continued moderation across major components of the index.
The food index decelerated to 13.12% year-on-year (September: 16.87%), while core inflation eased to 18.69% year-on-year from 19.53% in the prior month, highlighting broad-based softening in underlying price pressures.
On a month-on-month basis, inflation showed a mild uptick, rising to 0.93% in October compared with 0.72% in September. The all-items-less-farm-produce sub-index also moderated on a year-on-year basis to 18.12%, from 19.10% in the previous month.
External Reserve
Nigeria’s external reserves strengthened further in November 2025, rising to $44.67 billion from $43.17 billion in October, according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The continued build-up reflects improved foreign exchange inflows and renewed investor participation, supported by higher portfolio investments, steady oil receipts, and sustained diaspora remittances.
Foreign Exchange
The Nigerian foreign exchange market recorded a mild reversal in November 2025, with the naira depreciating across both the official and parallel market segments. At the official window, the naira weakened by 1.76% month-on-month, closing at ₦1,446.74/$ compared to ₦1,421.73/$ in October.
Similarly, the parallel market rate declined by 1.38% month-on-month, as the naira settled at ₦1,470/$ from ₦1,450/$ in the previous month. The softer performance reflects persistent demand pressures and uneven FX supply.
Equities Market
The Nigerian equities market reversed its bullish momentum in November 2025, closing the month lower as investor sentiment weakened. The NGX All-Share Index (ASI) declined by 6.88% month-on-month.
The sharp selloff was driven by intensified profit-taking, as investors reacted to rising uncertainty surrounding the proposed Capital Gains Tax (CGT) expected to take effect from January 1, 2026. The heightened apprehension prompted investors to rebalance portfolios and lock in earlier gains, resulting in broad-based pullbacks across key sectors.
Fixed Income Market
The Nigerian fixed-income market extended its positive momentum in November 2025, with yields moderating across both the Treasury Bills and FGN bond segments. In the NTB market, the average yield declined by 64 basis points, settling at 16.82% from 17.46% in October.
Similarly, the FGN bond market recorded a 29-basis-point drop, with average yields easing to 15.61% compared to 15.90% in the previous month. The continued decline in yields reflects improved market liquidity and sustained investor demand across maturities.
Conclusion
At the November 2025 FGN bond auction, the Debt Management Office (DMO) reopened the 17.945% FGN AUG 2030 (5-Year) and 17.95% FGN JUN 2032 (7-Year) bonds, offering ₦230 billion on each maturity.
Investor participation remained solid, with total subscriptions of ₦147.87 billion for the 2030 bond and a much stronger ₦509.39 billion for the 2032 tranche. Following the auction, the DMO allotted ₦134.80 billion and ₦448.72 billion, respectively.
Stop rates printed at 15.90% for the AUG 2030 and 16.00% for the JUN 2032 bond, slightly higher than the previous stop rates of 15.832% and 15.850%. Overall, the auction reflected healthy investor demand, particularly for longer-dated instruments. Read the similar post on this page.
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