Senator Shehu Sani condemns life pension for NASS leadership

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign and Domestic Debts, Senator Shehu Sani, has condemned in strong terms the proposal seeking life pension for National Assembly (NASS) leaders.

The proposal is being championed by some legislators, in the just inaugurated1999 constitution amendment committee.

Senator Sani made this disclosure in Kaduna Monday when he paid a private visit to the reporter of Peoples Daily Newspaper, Mr Femi Oyelola, who was involved in an accident early this year, with severe fractures.

He said it was necessary for him to make his position clear on the subject matter.

It would be recalled ‎that the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who is the Chairman, Senate Ad hoc committee on review of the 1999 constitution, alongside other Senators at the constitution review committee meeting held in Lagos, voted in favour of life Pension for NASS leaders.

Senator Sani who is also a member of the committee maintained that, “I am personally opposed to life pension for legislators, Governors or their deputies, or immunity for public office holders.”

He stressed that there was no reason for public office holders to enjoy immunity, thereby making it impossible to be tried when they commit any offence, adding that such, made room for impunity in most cases.


The Senator who represents Kaduna Central Senatorial district, however, said he was not opposed to immunity for the President and his vice.

He was of the view that Nigerians as a whole needed social insurance and frowned at a situation where politicians used and dumped journalists at will, adding that Journalists most often than not were spectators of other people’s prosperity.

While encouraging Mr Oyelola to be strong ‎in his trying moment occasioned by the accident, the Senator who had earlier donated the sum of two hundred thousand naira to him while he was on admission at the Saint Gerald Catholic Hospital, also promised to offset the balance of all his hospital bills.

In addition, he also promised to give Mr Oyelola a monthly stipend until he was fully well and ‎back on his feet and to active journalism practice.

Mr Oyelola in his response commended the Senator for standing by him. He prayed God to continue to lift him and prosper him in his political career and future endeavours.