Senate says no to extra allowance for past Presidents, and Reps

Spirited attempts to ensure that former Senate presidents, speakers of the House of the Representatives also enjoy their perks of office, allowances and pension already enjoyed by former presidents and heads of state were summarily thrown out in the Senate yesterday.

Lawmakers also rejected a bill seeking to “provide former presidents such amounts as may be recommended from time to time by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and approved by the National Assembly, as up-keep allowance in addition to the pension entitlement under the 1999 Constitution.”

Former vice presidents, ex-CJNs were also included in the botched package.

On the death of the former leaders, their families and spouses shall continue to collect the allowances annually until the death of the last spouse of the office holder.

Section 2 (1) specifically provided that “members of the families of the deceased former presidents and vice presidents shall be entitled to annual payments as shall be recommended by the RMAFC and approved by the National Assembly and in a manner as shall also be prescribed by the Senate.”

But a divided Senate yesterday rejected the bill on the premise that former presidents and heads of states were already being taken care of by the executive, while some also argued that presiding officers of legislative houses were not entitled to pension outside office.

Thrice, the bill was passed in both chambers of the National Assembly and thrice, the bill was returned to the federal legislature as unsigned.

On the fourth attempt yesterday, however, Senators refused to see any merit in the bill and kicked it out outright.

Senators refused to allow the bill scale the crucial second reading when it was debated in the chamber yesterday on the premise that the new law contravened section 84 of the 1999 Constitution.