Nigerian Federal Government Clarifies The Intentions Of Using Pension Funds.

The allegation that the federal government intended to unlawfully access the pension fund in order to finance infrastructure projects has been disputed.

Wale Edun, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, announced at the conclusion of a recent meeting of the federal executive council that the federal government intends to borrow money for infrastructure development in the nation from the pension fund and other locally accessible sources.

In order to leverage local money for national growth, he said, they are concentrating on utilizing domestic financial resources, especially pension and life insurance assets.

Wale Edun has since clarified following the uproar that surrounded the announcement, stating that the federal government has no plans to break the rules governing pension funds.

"It has come to my notice that stories are making around that the federal government plans to illegally access the hard-earned savings and pension contributions of workers.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The pension industry, like most of the financial industry, is highly regulated. There are rules, and limitations about what pension money can be invested in and what cannot be invested in. The federal government has no intentions whatsoever to go beyond those limits or go outside those bounds which are there to safeguard the pension of workers.

What was announced to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) – merely for noting, no approval was sought for, or any action whatsoever – was that there was an ongoing initiative, drawing in all the major stakeholders in the long-term savings industry, those that handle funds and are available over a long period.

To see how within the regulations and laws, these funds could be used maximally, most effectively to drive investment in key growth areas, infrastructure, housing, and of course, to find a way to provide Nigerians with affordable mortgages.

Within this context, there is no attempt or no consideration to provide less safe investments for pension funds or even insurance funds or any investment funds that are made available.

No attempt whatsoever to increase the risk, to lower the returns that would otherwise be earned.  

We must remember that the federal government possesses the ability to provide guarantees where stocks are needed to unlock funding that will lead to growth, the creation of jobs and the alleviation of poverty.

The initiative is an ongoing conversation, a challenge, a test for the best and the brightest in the financial industry to come up with solutions that whilst safeguarding the long-term savings, we do provide an avenue that can help the economy.”

As of March, Nigeria's total assets in pension funds were N19.6 trillion.