BY Dyepkazah Shibayan
The majority of lawmakers in the house of representatives and senate have rejected a constitutional bill seeking to provide pension for presiding officers of the national assembly.
It is entitled: ‘Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide Pension for Presiding Officers of the National Assembly and for Related Matters.’
It is the 16th out of the 68 constitutional bills the senate and house of representatives are voting on.
The presiding officers are the senate president and his deputy as well as the speaker and his deputy.
Using the electronic system, 88 senators registered but after voting, Senate President Ahmad Lawan jokingly refused to declare the tally.
Amid laughter, the senate president announced that the bill failed to pass.
Lawan said the rejection of the legislation is an indication that the federal lawmakers are not working to favour themselves.
“This bill has conclusively failed,” he said.
“It is a good message to our country that we don’t do things for ourselves.”
Meanwhile, the house passed a bill to provide a timeline within which civil and criminal cases should be heard and determined — but it was rejected at the upper legislative chamber.
While the house voted 297-3 to pass the bill, the senate voted 49-31 against it.
After failing at the senate, the bill will not be among those that will be sent to the 36 houses of assembly across the country.
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