United Kingdom (UK)-based Nigerian finance and governance consultant, Abidemi Agidee, has advocated for enforcement to restore public trust in Nigeria’s pension scheme.

She also urged families to begin conversations around retirement much earlier, stressing that proper planning remains the strongest safeguard for stability, wellness and ageing with dignity.

Agidee gave the advice during the launch of her new book, The Retirement Blueprint: Your Plan for Wealth, Wellness and Wonder, held at the Freedom Park, Lagos Island.

She said that her book draws heavily from her personal experience, including the moment her son was diagnosed with stage-four cancer, an event she described as life-altering and a major reason for her renewed advocacy for financial preparedness.

According to her, she was preparing for a board meeting when the call came that her son had been rushed to the hospital in the UK, and she was able to survive the period because of a critical illness insurance policy that covered severe sickness for spouses and children.

Agidee said that the pressures of the medical ordeal eventually led to the collapse of her marriage, compelling her to single-handedly shoulder major responsibilities.

She spoke on the need for Nigerians to rethink retirement. She said many families avoid important discussions, such as where they intend to live, how they hope to maintain their lifestyle, and what activities will sustain them when work is no longer central to life, stressing that identity loss and depression are common among retirees because many people have no sense of self beyond their jobs.

Agidee, who, however, said that stronger enforcement is necessary to restore public trust, disclosed that she had recently discussed the issue with directors at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), expressing hope that improvements in the system would encourage more participation in the contributory pension scheme.

She also advised families not to rely solely on pensions, saying that older generations survived through community-driven support systems that ensured the elderly were not abandoned.

Agidee described the chapter on money anxiety and money dysmorphia as the most emotional part of the book, noting that her upbringing shaped her cautious financial outlook, while her former husband remained overly optimistic. She added that confronting personal beliefs about how much is enough was one of her toughest writing challenges.

Agidee, therefore, encouraged Nigerians to begin retirement planning early, emphasising that the process goes beyond money and includes lifestyle, support systems and personal wellbeing.