Senators Want Life Pension & Immunity For Saraki, Others
According to them, presiding officers who should enjoy life pension, are Senate President, Deputy President of Senate, Speaker of the House of Reps and Deputy Speaker of House of Reps.
The lawmakers are also insisting that
presiding officers in the legislature should enjoy immunity since the executive and judiciary are enjoying it.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, spoke in favour of the proposal for the pension.
Ekweremadu, who is the Chairman, Senate Ad hoc Committee on the Review of 1999 Constitution, stressed that it was necessary for the presiding officers to enjoy such benefits.
He said, “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.”
Sen. Stella Oduah (PDP-Anambra) also said there was no reason why legislators should not enjoy such benefits when other arms of government enjoyed it.
She said, “The executive enjoy it. Let us stand by our leaders. 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.”
However, Leader of the Senate, Sen. Ali Ndume, spoke against the proposal. According to him, the case of the state governors and their deputies is different as they are elected by the public.
“But we elect our principal officers, to me, I believe that the benefits of the Office of the Senate President and other principal officers are 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.
Also, the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, opposed the suggestion.
He said, “The governor of a state and the president cannot stay in office for more than two terms. But a senator can stay in office for 35 years.”
In her submission, Senator Oluremi Tinubu of the APC, who represents Lagos-Central, stated that principal officers had had enough.
“Principal Officers 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
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