Senate rejects pension for presiding officers of legislature
Approves conference committee report on NIPOST Bill
By Emma Ogbuagu
The drive for local government autonomy got a major boost on Tuesday when the Senate passed bills to grant financial and administrative autonomy to local government areas in the country.
While 92 senators voted to pass financial autonomy for local governments, 88 voted to pass administrative autonomy of LGAs.
The Senate also approved financial autonomy for state legislatures and the judiciary.
The approval came on Tuesday during voting on the report of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution (Fifth Alteration) Bills, 2022.
Senators during voting on the report rejected pension for presiding officers of the legislature.
Out of a total number of 88 Senators registered to vote on the bill, 34 voted in support, and 53 against the bill.
Also rejected were bills to override Presidential veto in Constitution Alteration; and to override Presidential veto in respect of ordinary money bills.
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The rejected bills require the mandatory four-fifth (votes of 88 Senators) and two-thirds majority (votes of 73 Senators) to pass, respectively.
The bill on Procedure for Overriding Presidential Veto in Constitutional Alteration seeks to provide for the procedure for passing a constitution alteration bill where the President withholds assent.
On the other hand, the bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution to provide the procedure for overriding executive veto in respect of money bills, seeks to provide for mode of exercising federal legislative power on money bills before the National Assembly.
While 94 Senators registered to vote on the bill to override presidential veto in constitutional alteration, 79 lawmakers of the chamber voted in support and 15 against it. The bill fell short of the needed 88 votes (four-fifth requirement) to pass.
On the bill to override presidential veto in respect of money bills, out of a total of 84 registered Senators, 44 voted in support, and 39 against the bill. The bill also fell short of the required two-thirds requirement (73 Senators) to pass.
In addition, the Senate also rejected bills to provide for the Removal of Presiding Officers of the Legislature; and to Change the name of Barikin Ladi Local Government Area in Plateau State to “Gwol” Local Government Area.
Meanwhile, the Senate, also on Tuesday, approved the conference committee report on the Nigeria Postal Services Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2022.
The approval followed the consideration of the conference committee report on the bill after it was laid by the Deputy Senate Leader, Robert Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo North).
Boroffice, in his presentation, said the Conference Committee met and deliberated on the two versions of the bill as passed by the two Chambers.
“The Committee observed that the version passed by the House of Representatives included further amendments made on the version passed by the Senate which exhaustively incorporates issues that are acceptable to majority of stakeholders in the Nigerian Postal industry.
“As part of the process of further engagement with the stakeholders, new facts and positions emerged and these have been fully articulated and incorporated in the version of the House of Representatives,” the lawmaker explained.
He explained that after extensive deliberations, the Conference Committee resolved and adopted the Senate Version in Clauses 3(3): 28(5): 35(1); and 36(1) while Clauses 8(1); 9(n); 10(1); 33(t); 68(2)(b); 72(1) and 75 of the House of Representatives’ version of the Bill were adopted.
The Senate, thereafter, approved the Conference Committee report on the NIPOST bill, 2022.
