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| Sogunle |
Chuks Udo
Okonta
Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited,
Nigeria’s biggest pension fund administrator, with assets under management of over N941 billion, has taken its drive for retirement
planning to Abuja, the Nigerian capital, with a call to Nigerians to understand
the importance of early retirement planning.
Unveiling
the second phase of its interactive pre-retirement seminar in Abuja on Thursday,
the company said it believes that raising awareness of retirement would help
companies and their employees in particular to better understand the imperative
of retirement planning.
Chief
Executive Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited, Dr. Demola Sogunle, speaking
at the seminar, which had the theme, ‘Life renewed at 55 and beyond,’ said the
pension system, with defined contributions as its foundation, presents a clear
path for employees to maintain a stable standard lifestyle even well after
retirement.
He said: “People
are apprehensive about retirement because they do not plan for it early enough.
Ideally, planning for retirement should commence from the day one takes on a
first job. It demands setting aside part of current income into a
retirement savings account. Our central mission at Stanbic IBTC Pension
Managers Limited is to help Nigerians address their retirement needs.”
The seminar
also provided a platform for the firm to forge closer ties with its customers
and to enlighten the public on developments in the pension industry. Other
activities that featured at the event were presentations on Lifestyle and
Health and Managing Finances, delivered by Dr. Chito Nwana, Medical Director,
Tabitha Medical Center, Abuja and Emmanuel Olumuyiwa Olu-Ayeni, President /CEO
StarBright Consulting Limited, respectively.
“In addition to creating awareness about the
necessity of having a retirement plan and enjoying a comfortable life
post-retirement, another objective of this campaign is to further deepen the
relationship with our customers by reminding them of our availability at
anytime and anywhere to attend to their needs. In so doing, we obtain
significant feedback with which to develop solutions that address their
specific needs. This will not only put them at ease; we are also motivated to
go the extra mile to deliver on our promises,” Sogunle stated.
He emphasized
that planning for retirement should commence early in an individual’s working
life as it typically takes many years to accumulate the necessary funds with
which to live comfortably when the salary eventually ceases to arrive at the
end of every month.
“This
seminar, besides celebrating all of you that will soon transit from
contributors to retired clients of Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers,will also
provide an opportunity to address the concerns or anxieties you might have as
retirement draws close,” he added.
Other issues
that were examined include preparation for retirement; accessing retirement
benefits; health at retirement and investment opportunities post-retirement.
Stanbic IBTC
Pension Managers, stated Dr Sogunle, is backed by the requisite expertise and
experience and strong financial clout of the Standard Bank Group, ensuring
efficiency in the management and safety of clients’ investments.
“We believe
that the support, experience and capabilities of the Standard Bank Group, to
which Stanbic IBTC belongs, have been instrumental in enhancing our expertise,
resource base and general service delivery; thus reinforcing our goal of
providing excellent service to all our customers,” he said.
At the end of the seminar, Sogunle outlined
three crucial considerations which everyone must give a thought to for a
secured future. The first being that no one will ever care about your
retirement investments as much as you do – so educate yourself. The second
thought is that when making retirement investments, seek professional
assistance – even the best athletes have coaches. The third thought is even if
you may have stopped working for money; your money should never stop working
hard for you.
In addition
to entertaining the guests, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers also provided free
health checks which included screening for hypertension and diabetes,
comprehensive dental and eye screening with consultation as well as lifestyle
assessment for all the participants.
Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers is a subsidiary
of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, a member of Standard Bank Group, a full service
financial services group with a clear focus on three main business pillars -
Corporate and Investment Banking, Personal and Business Banking and Wealth
Management. Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets and
earnings.
It is rooted
in Africa with strategic representation in 19 countries on the African
continent, including South Africa. Standard Bank has been in operation for over
150 years and is focused on building first-class, on-the-ground banks in
chosen countries in Africa and connecting other selected emerging markets to
Africa and to each other, applying sector expertise, particularly in natural
resources, globally.
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