Spirited attempts to ensure that former Senate presidents, speakers of the House of the Representatives also enjoy their perks of office, allowances and pension already enjoyed by former presidents and heads of state were summarily thrown out in the Senate yesterday.
Lawmakers also rejected a bill seeking to “provide former presidents such amounts as may be recommended from time to time by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and approved by the National Assembly, as up-keep allowance in addition to the pension entitlement under the 1999 Constitution.”
Former vice presidents, ex-CJNs were also included in the botched package.
On the
death of the former leaders, their families and spouses shall continue to collect the allowances annually until the death of the last spouse of the office holder.
Section 2 (1) specifically provided that “members of the families of the deceased former presidents and vice presidents shall be entitled to annual payments as shall be recommended by the RMAFC and approved by the National Assembly and in a manner as shall also be prescribed by the Senate.”
But a divided Senate yesterday rejected the bill on the premise that former presidents and heads of states were already being taken care of by the executive, while some also argued that presiding officers of legislative houses were not entitled to pension outside office.
Thrice, the bill was passed in both chambers of the National Assembly and thrice, the bill was returned to the federal legislature as unsigned.
On the fourth attempt yesterday, however, Senators refused to see any merit in the bill and kicked it out outright.
Senators refused to allow the bill scale the crucial second reading when it was debated in the chamber yesterday on the premise that the new law contravened section 84 of the 1999 Constitution.
Federal lawmakers strongly opposed a new law which would allow former presidents Shehu Shagari, Olusegun Obasanjo, and former presiding officers of the National Assembly such as former Senate presidents Anyim Pius Anyim, Adolph Wabara, Ken Nnamani, Hon. Ghari Na,aba, Aminu Masari and Dimeji Bankole draw extra-allowances and pension from government coffers.
Senators went a step further by handing down strict warnings that at no time should former military heads of state be ever considered for allowances and pension because they truncated the democratic process in Nigeria.
In his lead debate on a bill for an Act for the remuneration for former presidents, heads of legislative houses and Chief Justices of the Federation and other ancillary matters, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba reminded his colleagues why former leaders should be taken care of and why former presiding officers of the National Assembly should be included in the remuneration package which was already being enjoyed by the executive and the judiciary.
He said: “This bill was passed by the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth National Assembly. Unfortunately, the president didn’t assent to the bill for inexplicable reasons before it lapsed.
“I decided to re-introduce this bill due to the exigencies of our time and the uncomfortable and sometimes, embarrassing economic situation of last leaders of this country.
“The thrust of this bill is essentially to repeal the provisions of CAP R6 LFN 2011 which provides for remuneration packages for former presidents, heads of state, vice presidents but it also applies to those who have attained offices as presiding officers of both houses of the National Assembly and those who have attained the position of the CJN which is a sharp difference of CAP R6 LFN 2011 which provided for the executive arm.
“We read in the Sun Newspaper where a former presiding officer, former Senate President Joseph Wayas (Second Republic) said he’s living on charity. I think that’s a most uncharitable way for our leaders to live like that.
Senator Ayogu Eze argued that forthright leaders should be taken care of “if people have served and given their best to the country. “They shouldn’t live in penury and lamentation as the Senate Leader has said,” but the Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory, Smart Adeyemi countered him.
Rather than approve remuneration for past military leaders, Adeyemi posited that they should be prosecuted for subverting the democratic process in Nigeria.
“I disagree with my colleague, Senator Aisha Al-Hassan that former military rulers should benefit from this package. We should instead look at punitive measures for coup plotters and I don’t even know whether some of them are here. They should tender a letter of apology to Nigerians for organizing coups against the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“In fact, they should be banned. All those who have derailed democracy shouldn’t tell us that they are now champions of democracy. If you’ve derailed the system before, how come you are now saying that the system is good? We should rather look at punitive measures.”
Minority Whip Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon wondered why past presidents including Olusegun Obasanjo, late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan refused to assent to the bill.
He asked whether it was because it included former presiding officers of the legislature. “Why have successive governments refused to assent to this bill? If you look at the Judiciary and the Executive, from time immemorial, it has been benefiting from this gesture. The only arm of government left out is the legislature.
“Should the president refuse to assent to it, we should overturn his veto.”
Chairman of the Water Resources Committee, Heineken October Lokpobiri supported the bill on the premise that it would help strengthen democracy as well as “remove corruption from the system.”
Senator George Sekibo, on his part, opposed the bill because approving a new remuneration package for the former leaders would be a strain on the economy because “no former president or head of state will say he’s not benefitting from the Federal Government.”
Besides, Sekibo wondered why presiding officers in the National Assembly should be included in the remuneration package which, if passed would “mean that there would be more coups in this Senate.”
Former Anambra State governor, Chris Ngige, warned the chamber not to make laws that would contradict the 1999 Constitution (As amended). “We cannot re-invent the wheel. If we want to include former presiding officers in the remuneration package, we have to go through an amendment of the Constitution and Nigerians should say whether they want it or not.
“I rest my case and I would not be part of any illegality. If we have anything to do, we should take it to the Constitution Review Committee.”
Attempts by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu to save the bill failed. Twice he put the question that the bill be read a second time and twice, Senators rejected the move which sounded the death knell for the bill in the Senate.
It can only be re-introduced after a hiatus of six months.
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