Constitution Amendment: National Assembly Proposes Life Pension For Its Presiding Officers

THE National Assembly has proposed a life pension for its presiding officers in the ongoing amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

Life pension for principal officers of the National Assembly was among 68 recommendations proposed by the National Assembly’s Joint Special Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, which submitted its report on Wednesday.

Going by the proposed amendment, the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives will enjoy life pension when they leave office.

The lawmakers want to amend Section 84(5) of the Nigerian Constitution which guarantees life pension for all former presidents and vice-presidents.

Section 84(5) 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.”

The planned life pension for principal officers was first proposed by the 8th National Assembly under the leadership of Bukola Saraki in 2016.

Lawmakers had argued during a-two day retreat on Constitution Review organised by the Senate Ad hoc Committee on Constitution Review in Lagos that the presiding officers deserve life pension like their counterparts in the executive arm of government.

However, civil society organisations, including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), are opposing the proposed life pension for principal officers of the National Assembly.

When the proposal was initially raised during the 8th National Assembly, SERAP had described it as self-serving and despicable.

SERAP noted that some principal officers of the National Assembly had served as governors and are already enjoying life pensions in their states.

According to SERAP, life pension would amount to a gross “injustice and double jeopardy for millions of Nigerian pensioners who continue to be denied the fruit of their labour in old age”.