Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has strongly
\ncondemned as \u201cself-serving and despicable the demand by some senators on
\nSaturday for immunity and life pension for presiding officers of the
\nNational Assembly after their tenure in office.\u201d<\/p>\n
SERAP\u2019s statement followed the proposals by the senators at a two-day
\nretreat on Constitution Review organised by the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on
\nConstitution Review in Lagos on Saturday. Among others, the proposals want
\npresiding officers, such as President of the Senate, Deputy President of
\nSenate, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Deputy Speaker of
\nHouse of Representatives to enjoy life pension and immunity, since the
\nexecutive and judiciary are enjoying it.<\/p>\n
But SERAP in a statement today by its executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni
\nsaid, \u201cThe retreat by the senators and representative was titled \u2018Towards
\nEnsuring Governance Accountability in Nigerian federalism\u2019 but their grand
\nstrategy is the calculated use of legislative powers to alter the 1999
\nconstitution in their own favour so that they can enjoy life benefits at
\nthe expense of millions of economically and socially disadvantaged
\nNigerians who voted them into office.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement reads in part: \u201cSERAP calls on the Senate President Bukola
\nSaraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara to
\nshow leadership and refocus the National Assembly to be able to perform
\ntheir law-making functions in a manner that will rid the country of
\nimpunity for corruption and not embrace or tolerate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGranting senators and representatives immunity and life pensions would
\nneither enhance governance accountability nor contribute to the betterment
\nof Nigerians.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNigerians will reject any self-serving attempt by the senators and
\nrepresentatives to tear up section 308 of the 1999 constitution to grant
\ntheir leaders immunity from prosecution for corruption and money
\nlaundering. Nigerians will also reject the despicable attempt by the
\nsenators and representatives to grant themselves life pensions. SERAP will
\npursue all legal avenues nationally and internationally to compel the
\nsenators to drop the immunity and life pension proposals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSERAP is worried that the proposal for life pensions is coming from some
\nex-governors in the National Assembly that continue to enjoy \u2018pensions\u2019
\nfor serving as governors for 8 years. This is a gross injustice and double
\njeopardy for millions of Nigerian pensioners who continue to be denied the
\nfruit of their labour in old age.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a massive let-down for those elected to make laws for the peace,
\norder and good governance of the country to prioritise their own personal
\ninterests over and above those of millions of Nigerians who continue to
\nsuffer the effects of high-level official corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than engaging in constitutional amendment for personal
\naggrandisement the leadership of the National Assembly should encourage
\nthe inclusion in the constitution of legally enforcement economic and
\nsocial rights such as the right to food, to adequate housing, to access to
\nhealthcare, to work and goog conditions of service, and to adequate
\nstandards of living for millions of Nigerians who continue to live in
\npoverty. Saraki and Dogara should promote constitutional amendment that
\nwill ensure and provide legal standing and access to effective remedies
\nfor victims of corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis proposal by the senators is not coming out of the blue. Since the
\nstart of his corruption trial, the Senate President Saraki has worked with
\nother senators to make subtle and not-so-subtle attempts to grant
\nprincipal officials of the National Assembly immunity from prosecution for
\ncorruption and money laundering.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has strongly condemned as \u201cself-serving and despicable the demand by some senators on Saturday for immunity and life pension for presiding officers of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n