Senate and the risky politics of pension, — By KENNETH AMAESHI

Th ere is an ongoing debate on reforming pensions, yet again, in Nigeria.
 Since 2004, Nigeria has largely adopted the contributory pension scheme.
 But as years go by, this system has continued to be gradually chipped away.
 One of the currently debated bills, which is making its way into an Act, seeks to amend the 2014 Pension Reform Act to exclude the following members from the contributory pension scheme: the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Prison Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
 Th is debate builds on the precedence that the military and the Department of State Services – in particular – and some other organisations have, in the last few years, been exempted from the contributory pension scheme.
 Th e argument in favour of the proposed amendments suggests that the personnel of the named organisations above need to be under the defi ned benefi t scheme, where they should receive 100 per cent pension guarantee from the Federal Government.
 Th e argument further suggests that this is important given the nature and intensity of the jobs these military and paramilitary professionals do.
 However, that’s not all to the current squabbles.
 Another bill making the rounds at the same time seeks to amend the 2014 Pension Reform Act to allow a retiree withdraw up to 75 per cent of his or her contributions, as a lump sum, upon retirement.
 Th is means that only 25 per cent of a retiree’s contribution who chooses this option would be in the pension pot and available for the retiree for life.
 It is obvious that these are not slight amendments.
 If they are realised, the consequences on the pension system, practice, and industry will be farreaching.
 Th ey are very likely to dangerously unwind some of the recent benefi ts of the contributory pension scheme.
 One of the key elements of a good pension system is to guarantee fair returns (i.e. to ensure that the returns properly refl ect the time value of money) and safety of funds (i.e. to ensure payment of pensions as when due).
 A good national pension system also guarantees good living and minimises the risks of poverty in retirement.
 Th ese are some essential points upon which the proposed amendments to the existing system and practice sought to be assessed, in order to properly situate them.
 In the fi rst instance, to suggest that some personnel of paramilitary organisations should be exempted from the contributory pension scheme in order to grant them a befi tting retirement package is to suggest that the contributory pension scheme is inferior to the defi ned pension scheme.
 But how true is this assumption? Regarding the safety of pension funds, empirical evidence and experience suggest that the defi ned benefi t scheme in Nigeria has in many cases been abused.
 Th ere have been instances of fraud and brazen embezzlement of funds in a scale unknown to the contributory pension scheme.
 In addition, there is the possibility of politicians playing politics with the defi ned benefi t scheme by promising pension packages they cannot deliver – a feat they cannot achieve under the contributory pension scheme.
 Th e defi ned benefi t scheme has, also, historically saddled the government with extraordinary debt burdens.
 In the end, pensioners suff er and bear the burden of such recklessness.
 Th e contributory pension scheme, in contrast, protects pensioners from such drastic consequences and empowers them to proactively participate in building their pension portfolios for a rewarding retirement.
 Given this scenario, it is fair to say that the defi ned benefi t scheme is less safe than the contributory pension scheme.
 In comparison, the contributory pension scheme is based on market realities.
 If properly managed, it can easily be adjusted against infl ation, and with proper regulation, it can be well calibrated against risks.
 From experience, the market remains a better guarantor of fair returns on pension and is more effi cient than the government.
 Th is is evidencebased and is refl ected in some of the recent and ongoing changes in pension practices and systems in many developed economies.
 Either way, the proposed bill is trapped in a web of unfairness, which could undermine the current pension system.
 Th is unfairness can never be a solution to the perceived challenges of the current pension system.
 As has been advocated by some people, if the lawmakers think that the personnel they are interested in need to be properly remunerated, then, that’s a diff erent matter from the one they are pursuing.
 Th ey should, for instance, make the argument for their salaries and other rewards to be reviewed.
 Th at way, they can have an enlarged pension pot.
 Th ey can also increase the minimum monthly pension contributions to, perhaps, 20 per cent of employees’ salaries and bear the fi nancial burden of the total monthly contributions; such that there are no monthly pension deductions from such employees’ monthly salaries.
 Th ese options can be done without necessarily changing the current pension arrangement.
 Secondly, but briefl y, the argument for 75 per cent of pension contributions to be accessed as lump sum at retirement is equally dangerous.
 Although it may sound attractive and appealing, it may not make much sense in an environment where pension literacy, in particular, and fi nancial literacy, in general, are at their lowest ebb.
 While it comes across as a way to empower contributors to be in control of their money and possibly make better use of it, the proposed amendment could actually plunge them into an unimaginable retirement poverty, given that the risks of mismanagement of the funds, primarily due to low literacy, are currently high.
 From the foregoing, it is fair to conclude that the current pension system is robust enough to accommodate any changes within in, as opposed to threatening to dismantle it.
 Despite the seeming appeal of the defi ned benefi t scheme, it simultaneously comes across as a backward journey into history and an unprepared leap into the future.
 Th is is dangerous.
 History is full of hindsight, which should guide present and future choices.
 Th ere is no point reinventing the wheel.
 In all things, virtue lies in the middle, according to Aristotle.
 Hopefully, the lawmakers can take solace in this ancient wisdom as they press forward.
 Amaeshi is Professor of Business and Sustainable Development at the University of Edinburgh Business School, United Kingdom.
 He is formerly a scholar in residence at the National Pension Commission, Nigeria, and tweets @kenamaeshi