Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has withdrawn his
assent on controversial bill passed by state House of Assembly
seeking life pension for lawmakers.
Commissioner for Information, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, quoted
Dickson as conveying the decision to decline assent to the bill in
a letter to the Speaker of the Assembly, Kombowei Benson, on
Monday.
The governor was said to have held consultations with the
Assembly members in his country home of Toru-Orua, where he
explained his reason for declining assent.
Iworiso-Markson quoted the governor as saying that the bill was
inconsistent with Section 124 of the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria as amended.
Dickson argued that the State Assembly lacked the powers to
expand the categories of public servants who should be entitled to
pension.
He said the state was bedeviled with a lot of challenges
following low internally generated revenue base and unstable
earnings from the oil economy.
He added that if allowed to become law, Bayelsa would be the
only state out of Nigeria’s 36 states to come up with such
legislation.
The governor said that he was guided in the decision by the
principle that government should not be for a select class of the
privileged in the society, and would not discard it over seven
years into his administration.
He said the lawmakers and indeed the Nigerian populace would
attest to the fact that all decisions of his administration were
guided by the strong urge to protect the public interest and
promote the general good.
He said: “The provisions of this Bill granting pension to
members of Bayelsa State House òf Assembly and the extension of
same to former members of the Assembly and Bayelsa indigenes who
served in the Old Rivers State House of Assembly, is inconsistent
with Section 124 of the Constitution òf the Federal Republic of
Nigeria as amended.
“I am not convinced about the legality of this Billl which seeks
to expand the categories of persons entitled to pension.
“While I agree that the Assembly can adjust the quantum of
pension payable to persons entitled to pension, I am not convinced
that the House has powers to add to the categories of pensionable
public officers.
“Evidently, there is no record of any other state in this
country that has expanded the categories of pensionable public
officers to include lawmakers.
“I do not agree that Bayelsa which is coping with all the
myriads of issues and challenges, with our low Internally Generated
Revenue base and the unpredictable oil economy, should be the first
to initiate this.
“Honourable members of this Assembly, Bayelsans and other
Nigerians following our progress as a government would clearly
attest to the fact that my entire public service, actions and
decisions are marked by what is in the public interest,
particularly the interest of the vulnerable, ordinary people.
“It is in the service of this category of people that in the
last seven years and counting, I have in an unprecedented manner
which only history will record and reward, extended the frontiers
of the benefits of purposeful democratic governance.
“It is my philosophy that government should not be for a select
few. In the last seven years, my actions and decisions which have
sometimes elicited opposition from the elite who have been feeding
fat on the resources of our State, have been marked by this
singular disposition of mine.
“And I do not intend at this point to abandon that. Rather I
intend to do more and to consolidate on the policies and actions
which have been taken to protect the vulnerable.
“Therefore, I am unable to assent to this bill which in my view
aims to expand and consolidate the class interest of a privileged
few.”
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NAF Launches Agusta Power Helicopters at 55th
Anniversary
As part of activities marking the 2019 Nigerian Air Force (NAF)
Day Celebration, the President, Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the
Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, today,
29 April 2019, inducted 2 new Agusta 109 Power Helicopters into the
Service to boost the performance of the NAF’s constitutional roles
of defending the territorial integrity of the country, especially
the fight against insurgency and other forms of criminality across
the Country.
The induction was one of the main events of the 55th Anniversary
Celebration, which started on 27 April 2019, with Research and
Development (R&D) Competition/Exhibition and Anniversary
Lecture, and came to a climax today at the Eagle Square in Abuja
with a colourful and exciting Ceremonial Parade, K-9/Special Forces
Display as well as a thrilling Order of Battle (ORBAT) Flypast and
Aerial display by some of the platforms in the inventory of the
NAF.
Speaking at the occasion, the Special Guest of Honour, President
Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the Vice President,
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, lauded the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS),
Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, for his commendable leadership of the
NAF in the last 4 years. The President noted that in fulfilling his
promise to end the Boko Haram insurgency and other forms of
criminality in the country, he made professionalism and capacity
building of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) a major security
policy thrust of his administration. The President emphasized that
training and acquisition of brand new platforms as well as other
support equipment for the AFN and other security agencies was
intensified. “I have no doubt that the employment of the newly
acquired platforms, in addition to the Super Tucano aircraft, which
would be delivered in 2022, would add impetus to the combat
efficiency of the NAF”, he said.
The President, who appreciated the contributions of the NAF in
addressing the security challenges of armed banditry/cattle
rustling and kidnapping in the North West, said the efforts of the
Service, in conjunction with other security agencies, had started
yielding positive results, thereby restoring Nigeria’s pride and
honour amongst the comity of nations.
He affirmed that his administration would not relent until every
spot within the territory of the country enjoys peace and order.
The C-in-C stated further that the NAF has been fulfilling its
Constitutional mandate of preserving Nigeria’s territorial
integrity through the employment and projection of air power. The
President, who was impressed with the display and professionalism
put up by the NAF personnel during the Ceremonial Parade, said
military parades have been a way of determining soldierly qualities
and troops cohesion. “The March-Past was elegantly conducted with
precision and the parade was generally colourful. This is an
epitome of discipline and excellent military posture, which are
hallmarks of a modern fighting force. I am further excited by the
aerial display by the NAF airplanes. The displays demonstrate NAF’s
commitment to achieving high standards of operational readiness”,
the President remarked. He acknowledged the roles played by the NAF
in the last General Elections by airlifting electoral materials as
well as aerial surveillance, which contributed to the success of
the elections.
While delivering his welcome address, the CAS noted with
nostalgia the 55 years of the existence of the NAF which had been
very eventful. He said that the Service had been confronted with a
myriad of challenges and had surmounted them all, progressively
maturing in the process.
The CAS stated further that the NAF had grown in size, spread
and equipment holding, all in a bid to fulfill its statutory
obligation of protecting and defending the territorial integrity of
Nigeria from the air. According to him, “The growth of the NAF
since the inception of the Service has been particularly
outstanding. From having only a few trainers and transport aircraft
in the early years of the Service, the Nigerian Air Force currently
has an impressive ORRBAT comprising diverse aircraft with
capabilities to perform a wide spectrum of missions. We have also
continued to build upon the foundations laid by our noble
predecessors by reactivating several aircraft that were hitherto
grounded; acquired and inducted various platforms into service and
increased the strength of Service personnel by 7,500
airmen/airwomen and 400 officers. Additionally, 2 new commands and
2 staff branches were established to meet the evolving security
challenges we are faced with”, he said.
The CAS added that the NAF had also established additional units
spread across the nation in response to evolving security
challenges and had constructed and upgraded existing schools,
hospitals and other infrastructure including 2 Reference Hospitals
to attend to the welfare of personnel and their families.
“Furthermore, the gap between force projection and force protection
capability has been substantially bridged with the training of more
than 1,000 Special Forces.
These personnel have been deployed as part of the Base Defence
forces to deal with the threat to our bases and to support Internal
Security Operations in various troubled spots across the country,
especially in the North East, North Central and North West,
respectively. The current status of the Nigerian Air Force is a
testament to the continued and sustained efforts by our
predecessors since the establishment of the Service”, he stated.
The CAS thanked the President for his continued show of uncommon
commitment to meeting the needs of the NAF and improving the
capacity and equipment holding of the Service.
The Anniversary Celebration, with the theme “Building Capability
for Defence of Nigeria’s Air Space While Responding to National
Security Imperatives”, ends today with a Gala/Reunion Night.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force