A fresh move by the National Assembly to grant life pension for its presiding officers, including the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives as well as their deputies has sparked outrage among civil society groups and some senior advocates.
This was contained in a report presented by the Joint Special Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution which contains 68 recommendations in the respective chambers on Wednesday.
The provision in the constitution states that, 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.”
If the proposal is passed by the legislature, the current Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila; and their deputies will benefit.
Nevertheless, in an interview 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.
Chidozie Chima | September 20, 2024
