House of Reps 3rd reading Drama stalls Exemption of National Assembly Service from Contributory Pension Scheme
The House of Representatives at plenary session on Wednesday disagreed over the final passage of the bill seeking to amend the Pension Reform Act, 2014, to exempt personnel of the National Assembly Service from the contributory pension scheme and to establish the National Assembly Service Pensions Board.
The Bill titled, “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Pension Reform Act, 2014 to Exclude/Exempt the National Assembly Service from the Contributory Pension Scheme and Establish the National Assembly Service Pension Board; and for related matters”.
During the proceeding, the Deputy Chairman Committee on Pensions, Hon. Bamidele Salam raised a point of order urging the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to step down the third reading of the bill.
He said, “I don’t see the need to exit the National Assembly from this contributory pension scheme. The overdoing consideration has been that any attempt to exempt certain classes of people from the contributory pension scheme may lead to the collapse of that system. This will open a flood gate of other demands by other critical sectors.”
Corroborating Salam’s statement, another member of the Committee, Hon. Bem Mzondu, said the right procedures to the bill’s passage was not followed. He reminded the Speaker that he didn’t grant the Committee their request for a public hearing to be held on the bill before sending it to the Committee of the Whole.
He said, “The right procedures were not followed. We requested for a public hearing, we wrote to your office but our request was not considered. If we open this flood gates of exit, many requests will come in. It means the pension scheme will collapse. Because every agency wants to exit the pension scheme. I plead this should be stepped down.”
Countering their statements, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase, making reference to the standing order of the House said the Speaker has the right to commit any bill to Committee of the Whole. Wase, while insisting that not all bills must go through public hearing, queried his colleagues opposing the bill’s passage on if they don’t care about the welfare of the people serving them.
“This bill didn’t come today, there was first and second reading and today we are committing it to third reading. Not all bills must go through public hearing. I don’t know why any matter that pertains to national assembly we are the first to raise issues, is it that we don’t care about the welfare of the same people that are serving us?,” Wase said
Agreeing with Wase, the Chairman House Committee on Rules and Business, Hon. Hassan Fulata said the bill was brought to the relevant committees but they couldn’t do their job and was discharged and recommitted to the Committee of the Whole.
Gbajabiamila, who noted that the committee was supposed to conduct the hearing and report back to the House on the bill, said the House should reverse the process “if there is something fundamentally wrong.”
The speaker said, “I am aware that the committee wrote (to me) for funds for public hearing. I have not acted on it simply because we did not have sufficient funds at the time. You will agree with me that a matter such as this one, that requires pension, should go through public hearing so all interests will come and voice their opinions.”
“From the presentation by the Deputy Chairman, this matter was referred to the committee. His committee was not given the opportunity to be asked why it has not submitted its report. I think it is only fair, under the doctrine of fair hearing, to have asked the committee, ‘We sent you this thing 60 days ago, why have you not submitted your report?’ And because it is something that affects the National Assembly, which we are a part of, it is the more reason why we should be circumspect, so that we will be seen to be above board.”
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