Nigerians have been for sometime now complaining of the ridiculous amount of money made by the lawmakers and other public office holders, despite this a new recommendation has been approved by the state Houses of Assembly for presiding officers to enjoy pension for life.
This was added to the ongoing amendment to the 1999 Constitution, earlier passed by the National Assembly.
Nigeria’s former leader including coup throwers and Past chief justices are currently enjoying this massive payoff.
The amendment acquired a huge support of 33 out of the 36 state legislatures votes.
They inserted a new alteration of Section 84 of the Constitution to insert a new subsection 5A to read, “Any person who has held office as President of the Senate, Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, shall be admitted to pension for life at a rate equivalent to the annual salary of the incumbent President or Deputy President of the Senate, Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives”.
The law however came with a proviso that “Provided that such a person was not removed from office by the process of impeachment or for breach of any of the provision of this Constitution”.
The law also would help current Senate president, David Mark who as a military retiree is currently enjoying pensions from the FG.
This is against Nigerian public service rules which clearly prohibits public office holders from drawing pension from more than one government source.
The only states to oppose the amendments where Edo, Ondo and Osun States legislatures.
The chambers of the National Assembly, Senate and the House of Representatives, had in 2014 approved the proposal on pension, alongside those for more than a dozen other subjects, before sending them to the state Houses of Assembly for concurrence or otherwise, in line the provisions of the Constitution. At least 24 states assembly must vote in support for any clause to pass.
Premium Times revealed the exact salary of the major public holders and amount they are bound to make upon retirement below.
According to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, the Senate President takes an annual basic salary of N2, 484,242.00 and allowances totalling N13, 911,758.00, while the Deputy Senate President earns N2, 309,166.75 and allowances totalling N12, 931,333.55.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives earns an annual basic salary of N2, 477,110.00 and allowances running into N9, 784,384.00, while the deputy takes N2, 287,034.25 and N8, 004,280.00, as salary and allowances, respectively.
The amendment, which says the former leaders of the National Assembly will draw the “equivalent of their annual salary”, adds to a growing number of legal provisions assigning lucrative retirement packages for Nigerian public officials after they leave office.
Several Nigerian governors have in the past years voted huge perks and benefits for themselves and their family members, with provisions not just for pensions and gratuities, but for foreign medical treatment for themselves and their spouses, and provisions for state burial when they eventually die.
Other amendments
The state legislatures also adopted the proposal for independent candidacy in future elections with 32 states voting in favour and four opposing. The four states are Kano, Ondo, Rivers and Yobe.
By the voting pattern, Sections 131 and 177 of the Constitution will now be altered in paragraph C by inserting after the last of the word “party” in line 2, the word “or he is an independent candidate”.
Also, 32 state Houses of Assembly voted to split the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. At the state level, the Commissioner of Justice will exist differently from the attorney general.
Accordingly, Sections 150 and 195 shall be altered to separate the two offices.
On citizenship, the legislative houses accepted the insertion of a new section “25A” into the Constitution for anyone born in a state other than his own to enjoy the rights and privileges as indigenes of that particular state.
The section says, (1) “A citizen of Nigeria is an indigene of a particular community of a state in Nigeria if (a) he was born in that state; (b) his parents or grandparents belong to a community indigenous to that state; (c) he has resided in that state continuously for a period of not less than ten years; or (d) being a woman, who is married to an indigene of the community of that state, unless she chooses to retain the indigeneship of her paternal community.”
(2) “A person mentioned in subsection (1) of this section shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges as indigene of that state.”
All the states except Ondo adopted the proposal for the president to deliver an annual state of the nation address at the National Assembly. The amendment says the president will “attend a joint meeting of the National Assembly once a year to deliver an address in respect of the state of the nation.”
Nigerian president are guaranteed salary till the end of their lives, but this recent law will also make sure that public office holders also enjoy this presidential benefit.
This was added to the ongoing amendment to the 1999 Constitution, earlier passed by the National Assembly.
Nigeria’s former leader including coup throwers and Past chief justices are currently enjoying this massive payoff.
The amendment acquired a huge support of 33 out of the 36 state legislatures votes.
They inserted a new alteration of Section 84 of the Constitution to insert a new subsection 5A to read, “Any person who has held office as President of the Senate, Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, shall be admitted to pension for life at a rate equivalent to the annual salary of the incumbent President or Deputy President of the Senate, Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives”.
The law however came with a proviso that “Provided that such a person was not removed from office by the process of impeachment or for breach of any of the provision of this Constitution”.
The law also would help current Senate president, David Mark who as a military retiree is currently enjoying pensions from the FG.
This is against Nigerian public service rules which clearly prohibits public office holders from drawing pension from more than one government source.
The only states to oppose the amendments where Edo, Ondo and Osun States legislatures.
The chambers of the National Assembly, Senate and the House of Representatives, had in 2014 approved the proposal on pension, alongside those for more than a dozen other subjects, before sending them to the state Houses of Assembly for concurrence or otherwise, in line the provisions of the Constitution. At least 24 states assembly must vote in support for any clause to pass.
Premium Times revealed the exact salary of the major public holders and amount they are bound to make upon retirement below.
According to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, the Senate President takes an annual basic salary of N2, 484,242.00 and allowances totalling N13, 911,758.00, while the Deputy Senate President earns N2, 309,166.75 and allowances totalling N12, 931,333.55.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives earns an annual basic salary of N2, 477,110.00 and allowances running into N9, 784,384.00, while the deputy takes N2, 287,034.25 and N8, 004,280.00, as salary and allowances, respectively.
The amendment, which says the former leaders of the National Assembly will draw the “equivalent of their annual salary”, adds to a growing number of legal provisions assigning lucrative retirement packages for Nigerian public officials after they leave office.
Several Nigerian governors have in the past years voted huge perks and benefits for themselves and their family members, with provisions not just for pensions and gratuities, but for foreign medical treatment for themselves and their spouses, and provisions for state burial when they eventually die.
Other amendments
The state legislatures also adopted the proposal for independent candidacy in future elections with 32 states voting in favour and four opposing. The four states are Kano, Ondo, Rivers and Yobe.
By the voting pattern, Sections 131 and 177 of the Constitution will now be altered in paragraph C by inserting after the last of the word “party” in line 2, the word “or he is an independent candidate”.
Also, 32 state Houses of Assembly voted to split the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. At the state level, the Commissioner of Justice will exist differently from the attorney general.
Accordingly, Sections 150 and 195 shall be altered to separate the two offices.
On citizenship, the legislative houses accepted the insertion of a new section “25A” into the Constitution for anyone born in a state other than his own to enjoy the rights and privileges as indigenes of that particular state.
The section says, (1) “A citizen of Nigeria is an indigene of a particular community of a state in Nigeria if (a) he was born in that state; (b) his parents or grandparents belong to a community indigenous to that state; (c) he has resided in that state continuously for a period of not less than ten years; or (d) being a woman, who is married to an indigene of the community of that state, unless she chooses to retain the indigeneship of her paternal community.”
(2) “A person mentioned in subsection (1) of this section shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges as indigene of that state.”
All the states except Ondo adopted the proposal for the president to deliver an annual state of the nation address at the National Assembly. The amendment says the president will “attend a joint meeting of the National Assembly once a year to deliver an address in respect of the state of the nation.”
Nigerian president are guaranteed salary till the end of their lives, but this recent law will also make sure that public office holders also enjoy this presidential benefit.
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