Barely a week after Seriake Dickson, governor of Bayelsa state, rejected a life pension bill for the state’s lawmakers, the Kano state house of assembly has passed a bill to provide life pension for its speaker and deputy speaker.
If signed into law, the new bill will also provide for foreign medical trips and new vehicles every four years for the the two.
The bill states the life pension is “provided that either the speaker or the deputy do not hold any paid elective or selective appointment.”
“Any person duly elected as Speaker or Deputy Speaker shall, on completion of his term be entitled to a grant of pension for life by the state, provided that such person was not removed from office through impeachment by members of the House of Assembly.
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“There shall be paid pension to persons who held office as Speaker and Deputy Speaker equal to the emoluments of a serving Speaker and deputy speaker, provided that either the Speaker or the Deputy do not hold any paid elective or selective appointment.’’
According to the bill, when the speaker or deputy vacates office before the expiration of the term of his office, which is not as a result of impeachment, “he shall be paid pension pro-rata the number of years he spent in relation to his tenure of office.”
“Where the Speaker or Deputy Speaker dies in office before the expiration of the term of his tenure, he shall be paid pension pro-rata the number of years he spent in relation to his tenure of office,” it added.
“There shall be provided for the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker a brand new vehicle to be bought by the State Government every four years.
“There shall be provided for the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker medical expenses either home or abroad depending on the nature of the illness.”