Move to exempt NASS staff from contributory pension scheme suffers setback in House of Reps

The House of Representatives has stepped down a bill seeking to establish the National Assembly Service Pension Board.

The bill, sponsored by Cook Olododo (SDP, Kwara), seeks to amend the Pension Reform Act of 2014 to exempt the staff of the National Assembly from the Contributory Pension Scheme.

During the third reading of the bill on Wednesday, the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Pension, Bamidele Salami (PDP, Osun), raised a point of order, noting that the committee did not hold a public hearing on the bill.

He stated that removing NASC staff from the central pension scheme will lead to its demise as several other agencies have made similar requests but were turned down.

“The committee on pensions has considered similar requests from members of the Nigerian Police, Customs, Immigration and Prison. The overriding consideration has been that any attempt to exempt certain classes of people from the contributory pension scheme may lead to the collapse of the entire system.

“I do not see the need to exempt the National Assembly as it will open the floodgate for different sectors to request withdrawal from the scheme,” Mr Salami said.

Another member of the committee, Ben Mzondu (PDP, Benue), said the committee requested funds to conduct a public hearing, however, the Speaker’s office did not respond to the request.

“We make laws for the country. The law before you is coming under scrutiny because the right procedure was not followed. This bill was referred to the Committee and we made a request for money for a public hearing, that request has not been granted,” he said.

He claimed that the committee was not given the stipulated time of 60 days before the bill was committed to the Committee of the Whole.

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The claim by Mr Mzondu is false because the bill was referred on 30 June and the committee was discharged on 23 November, after a motion was moved by the Chairperson of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Fulata (APC, Jigawa).

In the course of the debate, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, faulted the discharge of the committee, stating that the rule of discharging a committee should not be selective, particularly on a matter as sensitive as pension.

“It cannot be one rule for one committee and another for other committees. There are so many committees that, after three, four, seven months, have still not submitted their reports. That motion should have included them. You cannot single out only this one,” Mr Gbajabiamila said.

He also confirmed that the committee requested funds, but the request was not responded to because of a lack of funds.

The position of Mr Gbajabiamila did not go down well with his deputy, Idris Wase, who presided over the session when the committee was discharged.

Mr Wase said the position of the speaker is giving the impression that the duo are divided. According to the deputy speaker, the House followed the procedure of the standing rules in discharging the committee.

He added that several other committees have been discharged from their functions. To him, the excuse is not tenable.

“I presided on the day this motion was taken. The motion was taken as members were seated. I disagree with this procedure. In the past, even yesterday, we discharged some committees that have not done their job. It is not the first time we are doing that,” Mr Wase said.

“I don’t want it to be seen as though we are divided, for whatever reason, should it be that any day you are presiding, I can come up and say ABC you have done, they were done wrongly.

“Is that the way we should proceed? That is where we are going,” he said.

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The sponsor of the bill, Mr Olododo, in his contribution, said most of the members of the Committee on Pension did not attend plenary on the day the motion was moved. He alleged that they were all at their various constituencies for campaigns.

While ruling on the bill, Mr Gbajabiamila said the members erred on the side of caution because of the sensitive nature of the bill.

He asked the Committee on Pension to liaise with the Chairman on Rules and Business on how to resolve the impasse.