KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF RETIREMENT PLANNING AMONG CIVIL SERVANTS IN THE KADUNA METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

Abstract

Retirement Planning (RP) mitigates hardship and frustration faced by would-be retirees. Ineffective RP among Nigerian civil servants is one of the leading causes of severe hardship, frustration, and even pre-mature death after retirement. Previous studies on pension issues have not paid adequate attention to RP. There is a dearth of literature on the extent of knowledge of retirement planning and preparedness of civil servants for post-work life among potential retirees in the civil service. This study was, therefore, designed to investigate knowledge, attitude and practice associated with RP among civil servants in the Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria. The Voluntary Social Action theory of Talcott Parsons and Exchange theory of George Homans provided the theoretical framework, while the cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Data were generated using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The Kaduna Metropolis was purposively selected due to high population density of civil servants in the state. Civil servants were clustered into 14 ministries. A total sample of 321 civil servants was drawn using Yamane’s (1967) sample size determination formula. Simple random sampling was used to administer copies of a structured questionnaire to civil servants with less than 10 years to retirement. In-depth interviews were conducted with five executives of the Civil Service Union, civil servants from the State Pension Board and directors of Ministries. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi Square at p≤0.05, while the qualitative data were content-analysed. The respondents’ age was 48.57±2.34 years; 57.0% were male, with 62.9% married. The Knowledge of RP (38%) was low. The knowledge of Retirement Planning was significantly associated with ministries (χ2=284.83), age (χ2=192.87), education (χ2=273.72) and grade level (χ2=215.40). Only 22.7% of respondents had positive attitude towards RP and this was also significantly related to ministries (χ2=320.25), age (χ2=294.90), education (χ2=303.48) and grade level (χ2=322.79). Less than 31.2% had started RP practice and this was significantly related to ministries (χ2=215.17), education (χ2=210.97), income level (χ2=23.94) and years of service before retirement (χ2=18.83). Perceived mismanagement of pension funds 57.9% and poor income 50.5% adversely affected RP practices. The absence of timely retirement counseling and low financial literacy were challenges of Retirement Planning. Poor salary, lack of entrepreneurial skills, motivation, and saving culture affected Retirement Planning. Furthermore, huge social burden such as family responsibilities and the lack of trust in government negatively also affected their RP. Inadequate knowledge, attitude and practice of retirement planning among civil servants in the Kaduna Metropolis affected their retirement preparations, thereby making them potentially vulnerable to post-retirement stress. State Governments, pension unions, trade unions and other pension authorities should educate civil servants early enough about the importance of Retirement Planning through seminars, counseling and workshops.