A proposal seeking to grant officers of the National Assembly life pension has resurfaced after it was suspended the first time it came up following public outcry.
TrackNews recalls that the proposal was first introduced by the then 8th National Assembly led by Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara.
It was, however, carpeted following an outcry by concerned Nigerians and Human Rights groups.
SERAP had at the time berated the proposal, challenged the Saraki and Dogara led the chamber to show leadership and refocus the National Assembly to perform their law-making functions.
The rights group was worried that the proposal was being made by some former governors in the Senate, who are already enjoying ‘pensions’ for serving as governors for eight years.
However, years after the same bill was rubbished, President of the 9th Assembly, Sen. Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila and their Deputies among others are moving to get the proposal signed into law.
Tracknews understands that over N7.8 billion has already been spent to service the life pensions of all former Presidents, be it military or civilian, and their vices as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (Section 84(5)).
The resurfacing proposal will, however, add the above-mentioned principal officers of the National Assembly to this list.
The incumbent senate leaders would be the first to benefit from the proposal if approved and signed into law.
The National Assembly’s Joint Special Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution had disclosed this on Wednesday.
Tracknews reports that the Committee presented its report, containing 68 recommendations in the respective chambers, and the proposal was one of them.
Recommendation 16 reads, “That the House does receive the report of the Special Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution on a Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide Pension for Presiding Officers of the National Assembly; and for Related Matters.”
