Laws On Past Leaders’
Benefits Amended
Obiora Ani, Abuja
The
Senate has excluded past military leaders as beneficiary of
remunerations in a new law.
Approving the report of its committee on National Planning,
Economic Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, the Senate approved
that the amended Decree 32 of the Constitution provides for only
democratically elected former Presidents to benefit from
entitlements.
The upper chamber on Thursday passed the bill for an Act to
provide remuneration for former presidents, heads of federal
legislative houses and chief justices of the federation.
The House approved that persons removed from office through
impeachment or compelled to relinquish office for breach of any
of the provisions of the constitution would not be
beneficiaries.
VON Correspondent reports that those who to benefit will be
former occupiers of the office of the President, Prime Minister
and Heads of Government of the Federation, Vice President,
President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Chief Justice, Deputy Senate President as well
as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
By the provision, former military heads of states, including
General Yakubu Gowon and Chief Ernest Shonekan of the Interim
national Government, are excluded as beneficiaries of
remuneration for former Nigerian leaders.
Senate President David Mark said the bill, which was
exhaustively discussed, will ’’discourage people from
contemplating getting to power through any other means other
than the ballot box.’’
The Bill recommends that the beneficiaries shall be paid such
amount as shall be recommended from time to time by the Revenue
Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission and approved by
the Senate as up-keep allowance in addition to the pension
entitlement under the 1999 Constitution.
It is to be recalled that the bill is one of many, passed by the
last Senate and transmitted to the former President Olusegun
Obasanjo for assent, which unfortunately was never assented.
NAN/Yinka
