Dr. Musa Ibrahim, the Founder, Abuja Pensions School (APS) and Retirement Planning, joined other experts to make the call during a webinar programme in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

The programme was organised by Retirement Benefits Advisory (RBA) in collaboration with APS.

Ibrahim said that the webinar, which was the second editing was aimed at safeguarding pensioners from economic shocks occasioned by the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.

He appealed to the government to provide a robust health and housing system for retirees.

Ibrahim commended the National Pension Commission (PenCom) on their efforts toward making the lives of pensioners better.

He called on governments at all levels to review the pensions of retirees to determine if they deserved additional lump sums.

Prof. Mike Ikupolati, the former Director-General, West African Insurance Institute (WAII), called for a review of the provisions of the Pension Reform Act (PFA) 2014 on withdrawals and setting of new guidelines.

He emphasised the need for constant pre-retirement trainings for citizens and encouraged pensioners to have multiple streams of income.

He advocated free healthcare for pensioners in the country.

Prof. Nasiru Maiturare, the Professor of Actuarial Science and visiting professor at APS, observed that the corona virus pandemic had brought myriad of challenges to Nigerian pensioners.

He reiterated that an efficient and effective pension system was necessary to attain economic growth, boost productivity in workplaces and ensure employee’s well-being.

“Governments at all levels must strive to balance the twin goals of delivering financial security for retirees that is both adequate for the individual and sustainable for the economy’’ Maiturare said.

Mr. Ivor Takor, the Executive Director, Centre for Pension Rights Advocacy commended PenCom for their role in easing the process of accessing benefits by retiring employees.

He also appealed for the payment of additional lump-sum to eligible retirees based on their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) balance and remaining life expectancy.

He also suggested that the RSA be linked to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) so that when senior citizens retire, they could still access proper healthcare.

Mr. Joseph Adeniyi, the Deputy Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), listed the various challenges faced by pensioners to include their inability to see doctors on their ailments and non-payment of pension arrears.

He also decried the non-inclusion of pensioners in palliatives intervention and non-implementation of the 1999 constitution provisions of sections 173(3) and 210(3), especially by various states government.

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Lawan made the call on Tuesday in his concluding remarks on a motion over increasing rape cases and brutality against the girl child in the country.

According to him, having stiffer penalties in Nigeria’s criminal and penal code will serve as deterrent to perpetrators of the act.

“We stand together, shoulder to shoulder on this, and I think we need to make the penalties for rape stiffer to be sufficient deterrent for those who are involved in this or who even desires to be involved.

“We have to save our future, and these girls and women are the future of this nation,” the senate president said.

Earlier, sponsor of the motion on “increasing cases of rape and brutality against the girl child in Nigeria”, Sen. Sandy Onor (PDP, Cross River Central), noted that on May 26, a 16-year-old girl, Tina Ezekwe, was hit by a bullet when a policeman opened fire on a bus in Lagos.

According to the lawmaker, efforts to save Tina proved futile as she passed on two days later at a hospital.

Citing another incident, the lawmaker noted that “on May, 27 a first year undergraduate of University of Benin, Miss Uwailia Omozuwa was brutalised and raped at her church, where she went to study in the evening of that day.”

He added that brutality and rape cases against the girl child in Nigeria were on the rise, with some of the cases reported and several others unreported.

The lawmaker who bemoaned the lack of safety for the girl child in Nigeria, said that, “our young girls may no longer have the confidence to live their normal lives.

“The average young girl in Nigeria is obviously becoming terrified and scared to live with and trust her close male relatives and neighbours.”

Onor expressed worry that most Nigerian girls and women might have experienced one form of verbal and physical abuse or assault in their lifetime.

He stated that the negative physical, psychological and emotional effects of rape and brutality on young girls might impact on them for the rest of their lives with attendant consequences on their self esteem and general productivity.

Onor therefore said proactive measures must be taken by relevant authorities to curb the dastardly acts and bring culprits to justice.

The lawmaker stressed that unless timely action was taken against sexual assault and brutality, it would hinder national growth.

It is therefore our responsibility as leaders to rescue these young girls from the scourge of rape and brutality, he added.

Lending her voice in support of the motion, Sen. Biodun Olujimi (PDP – Ekiti South) said, “these are very ominous times for our children, especially the girl child.”

“If the authorities do not take serious action against rape, it will become a big scourge that will eat us down the line because the girls are being attacked psychologically, and that is not good for this nation,” she said.

Accordingly, the senate in its resolutions, called on State Houses of Assembly to amend the penal and criminal code to make penalties for rape and sexual assault stiffer so as to deter perpetrators.

It also condemned the killings of the young girls, and called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the unwholesome acts.

The Senate, while urging the Federal Government to stage a campaign against the increasing brutality and rape of the girl child, called on security agencies to evolve proactive measures to checkmate the unfortunate occurrences.

The senate also observed a minute silence for Tina and Uwaila and all those who lost their lives from such brutality and rape.

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