“THEWILL is constrained to ask what happens when a former governor on life pension emerges as Senate President or Speaker; does it mean such persons will then be entitled to two life pensions afterwards?”
Amid growing calls that the immunity clause in the 1999 Constitution, which covers the President, Vice President, Governor and Deputy Governor be expunged, the nation has been jolted by recent recommendations by the Senate’s Ad hoc committee on Constitution Review that same privilege be extended to presiding officers of the National Assembly.
Apart from the immunity, the lawmakers also sought that the Senate President and his vice, Speaker, House of Representatives and his deputy, be given life pension like their counterparts in the executive arm of government.
In supporting the proposal, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, argued that if the Chief Justice of the Federation, who is not an elected official could receive life pension, there was no justification for it not to be extended to the leadership of the National Assembly.
In the face of the nation’s dwindling economy worsened by the global drop in oil price and poor management of our commonwealth by previous administrations, THEWILL sees this proposal as a gross display of insensitivity and selfishness. It is inconsistent that this self-serving demand was adopted under the noble theme; ‘Towards Ensuring Governance Accountability in Nigerian Federalism.’
It is absurd and immoral and total disregard to the collective interests of Nigerians, that instead of formulating people-friendly bills, the lawmakers abandoned their primary responsibility, by giving priority to parochial and self-serving interests, which would further deny the people the much-needed dividends of democracy.
While THEWILL is not averse to amending some provisions of the Constitution, this attempt would nevertheless further disparage the transparency and accountability question, which the ad hoc committee sought to address in the first instance. We fear that this proposal can sabotage the entire constitution amendment and ultimately rob it of assent even if passed.
The immunity clause has, over the years, caused the nation huge losses, in terms of aggravated stealing of public funds and executive recklessness. If allowed to continue, the clause would compound the current culture of impunity and leave the ordinary Nigerians at the mercy of their leaders who act like emperors.
THEWILL appreciates the position taken by some senators, especially that of Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn N’ Allah, who asserted that the National Assembly “removes immunity from everyone and let there be balance,” stressing that, “If you give immunity to everybody, a legislator may rape a lady and wait to finish his tenure before being prosecuted because he has immunity.”
We do not believe any political office holder deserves to enjoy any immunity, including the President, his Vice, Governor and his Deputy. Once they have integrity and comport themselves properly, the need will not arise for any lawsuits which those in favour of immunity argued would constitute distraction to those in office.
As for the life pension being proposed, the lawmakers must be reminded that the cost of servicing them has already constituted an overbearing burden on the economy, given the mouth-watering salaries and allowances the legislators earn. THEWILL is constrained to ask what happens when a former governor on life pension emerges as Senate President or Speaker; does it mean such persons will then be entitled to two life pensions afterwards?
This shows that the Senators who should know better did not think this proposal through. It is retrogressive to note that while one of the dominant issues in the constitution amendment by the seventh assembly was the removal of the Immunity clause; the present assembly is seeking to widen the gulf.
We are pained that the lawmakers are oblivious of the financial implication of their proposal. For instance, if retired lawmakers are granted life pension coupled with that for past Presidents, Vice President, Governors and Deputies, THEWILL wonders what is left for the execution of projects for the benefit of the populace these public officers are supposed to serve. It gets more frightening when the inability of states to pay salaries is taken into consideration.
THEWILL therefore urges civil society groups and the media to pile pressure on the relevant authorities to ensure that public officials are made to answer for their misdeeds while in office, and to enlighten the electorate so that they would think twice before re-electing politicians who prove to be self-serving and insensitive.
If a president or governor can be impeached for committing impeachable offences, there is no justification for any special protection for other elected officers while in office. We demand that the senators apologize to Nigerians for this mindless attempt to glorify themselves above the interest of the people who voted them into office to serve.
It is deplorable and wicked that this is coming at a time when pensioners are unable to receive their pensions after giving their best to the nation, when workers groan over unpaid salaries, running into over six months and when the ordinary Nigerians find it difficult to afford three square meals.
To demand that presiding officers of the parliament earn life pension after spending between four to eight years in the assembly is a crass display of selfishness and insensitivity. Since they are merely first, second among equals, their colleagues in the National Assembly must guard against such happening.
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