Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State urging him to use his “good offices as trustee of the state’s resources, and consistent with your constitutional oath of office, to reject the proposed life pension bill by the leader of the House of Assembly Peter Akpe, and to prevail upon the House to immediately withdraw the self-serving bill.”



The House had last week passed a bill that would grant life pensions to speakers, deputy speakers and other members. Under the bill, speakers will go home with N500,000 monthly, while deputy speakers will receive N200,000. 24 other members will each get N100,000. The House is seeking life pensions for members similar to those “applicable to former presidents, vice-presidents, governors and deputy governors across the country.”



But reacting, SERAP said: “Public officials have a legal commitment to discharge a public duty truthfully and faithfully. Should you assent to the bill as proposed, SERAP will institute legal proceedings to challenge the legality of the legislation and ensure full compliance with constitutional provisions and Nigeria’s international anti-corruption obligations.”



In the letter dated 26 April 2019 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “The bill amounts to an incorrect and improper performance of public functions. It’s clearly an abuse of legislative functions by the lawmakers. Rather than sponsoring bills that would improve access of children in Bayelsa to quality education, the lawmakers are taking advantage of their entrusted public positions to propose a bill to collect large severance benefits.”



According to the organization: “The lawmakers are clearly the major beneficiaries under the proposed legislation. Therefore, by passing the life pension bill, the lawmakers of Bayelsa State House of Assembly have violated the constitutional and international prohibitions on conflicts of interest.”



The letter read in part: “The people of Bayelsa would expect you, as their governor, to use your entrusted public office to act in the public interest, including by rejecting the life pension bill and prevailing upon the House of Assembly to immediately drop the bill.”



“Conflicts of interest as well as perceptions of such conflicts would undermine public confidence in the integrity and honesty of not only the Bayelsa State House of Assembly but also your government, if urgent action is not taken to prevail upon the House to drop the outrageous bill.”



“SERAP notes that Bayelsa State has in recent years received trillions of Naira from the federation account. Yet, according to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), over 265,000 Nigerian children lack access to basic education in the State. The public funds that would be spent to pay life pensions to the lawmakers could be well used to address the problem of growing rate of out-of-school children in the state.”



“It is forbidden for any public official including lawmakers to engage in self-dealing, and place him/herself in a position of conflicting interests and to hold incompatible functions or illicitly engage in providing to him/herself emoluments deemed unacceptable, unconstitutional and illegal.”



“In the Seventh Schedule to the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended), you commit to strive to ‘preserve the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy contained in the Constitution, [and not to] allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions’. You also commit to: protect and defend the constitution, and to ‘do right to all manner of people according to law [and to] devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria’.”



“Constitutional oath of office requires public officials including lawmakers to abstain from all improper acts, including passing the life pension bill, that are inconsistent with the entrusted positions and the overall objectives of the Constitution. We believe that a false oath lacks truth and justice. The oath statements require the oath takers to commit to uphold and defend the Constitution.”



“Under the bill, former lawmakers, including persons of Bayelsa origin who served in the old Rivers State, would enjoy life pensions for ‘their services’ in the state as applicable to former presidents, vice-presidents, governors and deputy governors across the country.”



“It is estimated that hundreds of lawmakers will benefit from the life pension proposed legislation, which will invariably cost Bayelsa State at least N20 million taxpayers’ money monthly. This amount will increase in subsequent years.”



“SERAP believes that the action by the lawmakers is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the object and purpose of the UN Convention against Corruption, to which Nigeria is a state party and which implicitly prohibits large severance benefits for public officials such as members of Bayelsa State House of Assembly.”



“The convention, which is binding on all states of the federation, specifically in paragraph 1 of article 8 requires the lawmakers to promote integrity, honesty and responsibility in the management of public resources.”


http://serap-nigeria.org/serap-writes-gov-dickson-asks-him-to-reject-life-pension-for-bayelsa-lawmakers.ngo/

politicians are nigeria biggest problem,nigeria need revoution,the only group that is capable to lead the revolution are the igbos,but the biafra war experience will not allow them,with this kind of mindset in our politicians no hope for nigeria

Nigeria is just a gone state .



Wicked Men with Evil plans for the kids of a common man .



#RevolutionOrNothing
#Revolution

Why? We no go gree

Life pension even after looting the state treasury.

This continent is curse with bad leaders.

No wonder the state is underdeveloped with their huge federal allocation

See thieves. Thunder fire them

Imagine being a law maker for just 8 years and still get million on naira as a pension

Mheen! Life time pension for a country they didn't make 10 percent better. Nigeria is a joke!

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This people are simply greedy.
Just after their pocket and not the masses that brought them in government.
Imagine‼️

so dey are no more satisfied with all d money dey do earned doing dre 8 to 16years in Office


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authehighness:
politicians are nigeria biggest problem,nigeria need revoution,the only group that is capable to lead the revolution are the igbos,but the biafra war experience will not allow them,with this kind of mindset in our politicians no hope for nigeria

Revolutions are not planned, they suddenly ignite. Unfortunately a revolution will not succeed in Nigeria due to tribal and religious differences, and the unacceptable level of anarchy and destruction likely to follow such a revolution.

I hope the letter meets him when he's not drunk in order to take necessary steps and actions for the good citizens of the state. It's out of this world to imagine this day light robbery and slavery ...

They don't know what to do with federal allocation given to them again. Nigeria can never developed with this type of mindset.

See why... They Kill just to get there?

I won't be surprised if he assents it

Do your work mister

Cant believe this!is this not same STATE that complained of no fund to implement the 30k minimum wage.Very soon the life pension package will be extended to their family members after their demise.Let's come together and say no to this

this is a gud development if SERAP in her wisdom to defend the poor masses of their right from all this marauding beast that called themselves politicians it will help to stop all this obnoxious laws that's against human existence and conflict the common man interest. PLS SERAP we need more of ur action as at when due in this country.
As everyone is shouting REVOLUTION REVOLUTION only on social media without any action to back it it won't work.

Useless thieves, i hope politicians dont infiltrate SERAP

Reasoning of Ijaw and Epie man are always about what they will get not what that can help others.

'criminal'

These guys only fight for their pockets. MFs

Good one from SERAP.
Unfortunately, the governor may have to sign the bill into law or get impeached. The legislooters know that the bill is purely borne out of greed, narcissism and a lack of commitment to public interest. They must have envisaged these kind of hurdles from CSOs.
At the very least, they'd have put together adequate bargaining chips with which they'll sail through with their evil plans.
One of those would be to collect some skeletons from the governor's cupboard and threaten him with impeachment if he refuses to play ball. And trust me, Bayelsa governor has a lot of unpleasant skeletons, even fossils in his numerous cupboards.
I am waiting to see how this plays out anyway.

Democracy
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Demonstration of craze
If he no be craze why be say
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Very greedy and self-centered fools

Oh my Nigeria. .

A very simple group with just one thing in mind.

To learn practical ways of staying happily married and knowing the hacks of a beautiful and stress free home.

Zero 90 nine. 51 five. 711 eight

Life pension on what basis actually? For sitting down in that boring hall to read something from the paper?


Legislature are tools in the hand of executive. So whoever raise such motion should be sentence to life imprisonment