The Enugu State House of Assembly has stepped down the controversial life pension bill for former governors and deputy governors of the state.
The bill was stepped down at the plenary on Tuesday, March 16th, 2021 to enable the seventh assembly to critically look at the legislation and come up with practical solutions to the inadequacies noticed in the bill.
The Speaker Enugu State House of Assembly, Right Honorable Edward Ubosi, said the bill was not the making of the seventh assembly but had existed since 2007, adding that the 1999 constitution as amended gave backing for such legislation.
Ubosi added that stepping down the bill would enable his colleagues to thoroughly go through the bill in other to delete, as well as add some clauses to some sections of the bill.
According to the speaker, the public should have allowed the lawmakers to study the bill, which just passed through the first reading last week Thursday. He explained that former governors serving as senators would not benefit from the pension scheme, while the spouse of the former governors would not benefit from the pension as well, since the constitution does not recognize Governor’s spouses.
The Leader of the Assembly, Mr. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, had expressed shock at the level of protest that followed the presentation of the bill, which he said was not necessary.
The Leader said that the public cannot dictate or teach the members how to do their job of enacting laws for the growth and development of the state, warning them to mind their utterances.
Ezeugwu, however, noted that the assembly would be guided by the opinions of their constituents in consideration of the bill, disclosing that they would hold a public hearing to allow the public to make their input.
He maintains that the seventh assembly was not a rubber-stamp, stressing that they were not elected by their constituencies to come and collect salaries and other allowances as legislators without making laws that would better the lot of Enugu state.
However, many opinion leaders and civil society groups in Enugu state have continued to agitate for the scraping of the Ex-Governors Pension Law.