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Pensions For Speakers, Deputies, Not Lagos Assembly’s Initiative –Olulade

According to him, “there has been a provision for it in our constitution, but it was limited to Governors and Deputy Governors. More than two-third of the state Houses of Assembly believed that the legislative arm of government should also benefit from this.

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Spokesman of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Segun Olulade, on Thursday clarified that the amendment to the 1999 constitution by the National Assembly made provisions for life pension for speakers and deputy speakers of Houses of Assembly.

Olulade stated this in a telephone chat with our correspondent, while reacting to a report that Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and his Deputy, Taiwo Kolawole, have perfected a bill to grant themselves life pension.

The report claimed that Ikuforiji and his deputy have concluded arrangements to sponsor a pension bill that would guarantee 100 per cent of their annual basic salary for life.

While explaining that the proposed amendment of the 1999 constitution by National Assembly provided for such, the lawmaker wondered why certain sections of the media could report “such a story without getting proper clarifications.”

However, the lawmaker believes there was nothing wrong in taking such a step since the amendment to the constitution by the National Assembly, which had been forwarded to all the 36 state Houses of Assembly had ratified the proposal.

He maintained that every worker should be entitled to pension that would sustain them till death.

Also reacting, Deputy Speaker of the House, Kolawole said that there was nothing like a Bill on Life Pension for Speakers and Deputy Speakers of Houses of Assembly.

Kolawole said the issue was part of the last amendment to the constitution that was passed to the 36 state Houses of Assembly and that more than two third of the Houses of Assembly passed it into law.

According to him, “there has been a provision for it in our constitution, but it was limited to Governors and Deputy Governors. More than two-third of the state Houses of Assembly believed that the legislative arm of government should also benefit from this.

“It has been approved by the National Assembly and it is waiting for the assent of the President. It did not start from the Lagos State House of Assembly. We did not want to touch it, but somebody said we had to discuss it. It is not coming in the nearest future. It is not in any stage now, it has been introduced and stepped down by the members.

“Each state Assembly would work out how it would implement it’s own. It is just unfortunate that this is coming at a time that elections are coming up,” Kolawole added.