NPF Pensions Limited says it is taking its services directly to police retirees through a WhatsApp platform that has already onboarded almost 100,000 officers, even as it widens its investment options to sustain returns after the recent reduction in the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR).
The Acting Managing Director of NPF Pensions, Mr Mohammed Dutse, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while briefing journalists on activities lined up for the company’s 2026 Customer Week.
Service at their fingertips
Dutse said the digital platform was designed to spare officers the cost and stress of travelling to the company’s offices whenever they need pension-related help.
“Service is now at the fingertips of our customers. They do not need to travel to our offices to get help,” he said.
He added that the performance targets of regional and customer-service officers were tied to the number of police personnel they sign up on the platform. According to him, the aim is to make pension services accessible to officers wherever they are deployed across the country.
The company has also changed how it handles customer complaints, he said, by turning staff into relationship managers.
“Every one of us, myself included, has become a relationship manager. I have clients assigned to me, and I call them personally,” Dutse said. He disclosed that he has about 500 clients assigned to him and that the approach is being extended across the organisation.
Beyond bank deposits
Asked how the firm would sustain its performance after the CBN’s rate move, Dutse said NPF Pensions does not depend on bank deposits alone.
“Rates move up and down with inflation and the state of the economy, but we have other windows to harness,” he said, naming private equity funds, infrastructure funds, energy projects and the stock market.
He said the pension manager was also looking at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, citing the market attention around it, as well as the shares of other major companies, including First HoldCo.
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“As you can see recently, there’s a hype, a lot of hype around Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals. So, we also look up to that as well,” he said.
The strategy, he explained, is to combine asset classes rather than rely on a single source of income. “We just don’t rely on what banks give us,” he said.
Dutse said the firm’s investments have returned an average of 23 to 24 per cent annually over the past five years, with one year reaching almost 37 per cent. He added that the government had “opened up opportunities for investment” and that NPF Pensions was positioning itself to maintain the returns it has been delivering.
The firm also expects its client base to grow as the Federal Government moves ahead with plans to recruit about 50,000 police officers this year, a process Dutse said is still in the pipeline.
Retirees “not really happy”
Dutse acknowledged that many retirees are dissatisfied with their current pension payouts.
“Considering the current situation of things, I can say that yes, our customers are not really happy with the scheme,” he said.
He said the Federal Government is working to improve the take-home pay of retirees, with a presidential committee set up by President Bola Tinubu reviewing the arrangement. He declined to disclose details of the proposals, saying the committee was still working on them.
He pointed to the clearance of pension arrears that had built up for more than 24 months and to adjustments to pensions dating back to 2007, which he said cost the government over N750 billion.
“We appeal to our customers for patience. We have been with them from the beginning, and we are doing our best to resolve these issues,” he said.
On gratuity, he confirmed that payments have begun for police officers who retired within the period in question.
Support before and after retirement
Dutse highlighted the Retirement Resettlement Support Programme, which assists police retirees before their benefits are released by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the National Pension Commission (PenCom). He said the scheme has been running for a long time and that thousands of officers have benefited.
The company also runs pre-retirement seminars that go beyond pension rights, training officers in skills and small businesses, including poultry farming, to help them earn extra income.
“In some cases, we even teach them how to engage in some skills and some kind of small businesses before they retire or immediately after they retire, so that it will provide a source of additional income for them,” he said.
“No other pension operator offers this kind of support,” he added.
Home ownership option
During the week, customers will be briefed at the company’s offices nationwide on new guidelines under the pension scheme, including the option to use 25 per cent of their contributions as equity towards owning a home.
Dutse said the Customer Week was an opportunity to appreciate customers and strengthen communication with them and described the media as an important partner in passing pension information to police personnel and the public.
“We keep on reminding ourselves to always do what is right in order to serve our customers right,” he said.
Sunday Michael Ogwu is a Nigerian journalist and editor of Pinnacle Daily. He is known for his work in business and economic reporting. He has held editorial roles in prominent Nigerian media outlets, where he has focused on economic policy, financial markets, and developmental issues affecting Nigeria and Africa more broadly.