Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Stella Oduah and Senator Sani Yerima argued in favour of life pension for presiding officers of the National Assembly after their tenure in office, yesterday, at a-two day retreat on constitution review organised by the Senate Ad hoc Committee on Constitution Review, holding in Lagos.The Senators held that occupants of the office of President of the Senate, Deputy President of Senate, Speaker, House of Representatives and Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, should enjoy life pension.Ekweremadu, who is the chairman, Senate Ad hoc Committee on review of the 1999 constitution, in his contribution, said it wasnecessary for the presiding officers to enjoy such benefits for life after their tenure.“This has nothing to do with an individual. It is about the institution. Let us not politicise it. Nobody elected the Chief Justice of Nigeria, but he enjoys pension.“But if we cheapen our own institution, so be it. Let us not make this a personal thing,” he said.Oduah remarked that principal officers of the National Assembly are contemporariesof those in the executive and judicial arms of government and so, there is no reason why they should not enjoy such benefits when the other arms of government enjoy it.“The executive enjoy it. Let us stand by ourleaders. They should enjoy this benefit. They act on behalf of us. They are equal to the executive and judiciary and should therefore, enjoy the same benefit,’’ she stated.Also contributing to the debate, Yerima said after being elected by all the lawmakers and their constituencies, lawmakers should enjoy pension.“Governors, who spend just four years enjoy it, so presiding officers should enjoy it too,” he argued.But other principal officer, the Senate leader, Senator Ali Ndume and the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio spoke against the proposal.While Ndume argued that the benefits accruing to holders of principal offices were already enormous and sought that the privilege be extended to all members of the National Assembly, if the law must pass, Akpabio said the possibility of multiple terms of office for legislators was enough to exempt them from such privilege.“The case of the state governors and their deputies is different. They were elected by the public. But we elect our principal officers. To me, I believe that the benefit ofthe office of the Senate president and other principal officers is too much. They are just one among equals.“I am against any excessive privileges given to the Senate president or the Speaker. All of us were elected. If we are doing anything, it should be for all members of the National Assembly,” Ndume said.Akpabio, noted that “the governor of a state and the president cannot stay in office for more than two terms. But for a senator, he can stay in office for 35 years.”Also speaking against the proposal, Senotor Oluremi Tinubu, said principal officers had had enough.“Principal Officers drive fleet of cars and they have other entitlements. They should not earn extra money when they leave office.“In the last assembly, we in the minority tried to raise our voice against it. You are first, second and third among equals. Some of us do not even have cars, but principal officers have so many. I think we should drop that idea,” she said.Also yesterday, the lawmakers voted against the continuous operation of joint account between local and state governments. Twenty four lawmakers voted in favour of financial autonomy for local governments, while six lawmakers voted that the status quo be maintained.
Leadership
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