A move by the National Assembly to give life pension for its presiding officers, has sparked controversy in the country.
According to the proposal, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives as well as their deputies will benefit if approved.
This will include the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila; and their deputies.
This is according to the National Assembly’s Joint Special Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution which laid its report containing 68 recommendations in the respective chambers on Wednesday.
While the Senate had scheduled voting on the amendment bills for Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives were to consider and adopt the recommendations on Wednesday and Thursday.
Already Section 84(5) of the constitution guarantees life pension for all former Presidents and Vice-Presidents, a cost which gulps an average of N7.8b per annum.
The provision in the constitution reads, “Any person who has held office as President or Vice-President shall be entitled to pension for life at a rate equivalent to the annual salary of the incumbent President or Vice-President: Provided that such a person was not removed from office by the process of impeachment or for breach of any provisions of this constitution.”
However, civil society groups have kicked against this proposal. The Deputy Director, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Kola Dare; called on Nigerians to ask their various representatives at the National Assembly to kick against such provisions, adding that it was selfish of them to have considered such a provision in the first place.
He told THE PUNCH, “The proposed amendment if that is true, cannot be said to be in the interest of Nigeria. SERAP is in court challenging the payment of life pensions to some governors and deputy governors in their states.
“That of the National Assembly is at best a waste of public resources. The money could be put to better use, the education sector is there, and our health sector is not getting the best of funding. That proposed amendment should not be allowed to stand. Nigerians should reach out to their representatives at the national assembly to vote against the amendment.”
On its part, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, which is Nigeria’s chapter of Transparency International, described the provision as outrageous.
The Executive Director of CSLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, said the proposal, if passed would further put a strain on the fragile economy of the country.
