---

The National Provident Fund (NPF) was established by an Act of Parliament in 1961 to provide a poverty alleviation measure as required by convention No.102 of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The Scheme was targeted at protecting private sector employees (whose employers were then mostly multinationals) from financial difficulties in the event of either old age, cessation of employment, invalidity or death since most employers then did not have such provisions in their employment policies. In a sense, the provident fund scheme was a compulsory savings scheme – i.e. defined contributed scheme. The Act provided for monthly contributions by members at the rate of 6% of basic salary subject to a maximum of N8.00 per month or a sum total of N96.00 per annum to be paid in equal proportion by the employer and the employee. In the event of emigration from the country, employment cessation, old age, invalidity or death, the cumulative amount contributed plus accrued interest (7% as

---