By The Guardian
IF AVAILABLE information in the second quarter of 2025 budget performance document of Lagos State government is anything to go by, the 40 Lagos State House of Assembly members would be spending N6.2 billion for the purchase of 40 property in Lagos or Abuja.
Already, as at the end of second quarter of the 2025, the budget performance document revealed that N1 billion, which is about 16.1 per cent of the money budgeted for the 40 houses had already been spent, reports The Guardian.
Since the money is meant to purchase 40 properties; it means that each of the lawmakers will be entitled to at least a house, as there are only 40 legislators in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
A breakdown of the N6.2 billion revealed that each of the lawmakers is expected to get a house worth about N155 million each.
But it seems the houses are parting gift for each of the lawmakers because the 2024 budget performance revealed that though N1.22 billion was the initial budgetary provision for 40 property; the Assembly increased it to N6.2 billion. However, only N126 million was spent, which was just two per cent of what was allocated. This is according to the budget document.
Yet in the 2023 budget performance document, while N1.22billion was allocated to buy 40 property, at the close of the financial year in December, 2023, about N1.131 billion was spent for the purchase of 40 houses. That year, the line item for buying of property recorded 92.7 per cent budget performance.
However, whether the N1.131billion that was spent to buy 40 property in 2023 was for the 40 lawmakers who were members of the ninth assembly, whose legislative roles got terminated that year, especially since 2023 was the termination of ninth assembly and the inauguration of the tenth assembly, the budget document was silence about that.
It was noticed that the bulk of the N1.131 billion was used up before the fourth quarter of 2023, as only N424 million were spent in the fourth quarter of 2023 for the buying of the 40 property.
Meanwhile, it is not clear whether the provision of houses for Lagos assembly members was initiated by the Executive or the Legislature. This is because although the 1999 Constitution (Section 124(5)) permits state Houses of Assembly to legislate on pensions or gratuities for former governors and their deputies only.
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It was why in 2019, former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, withheld his assent from a then newly passed “life pension” bill intended for current and former members of the State House of Assembly, including the Speaker and Deputy Speakers.
Dickson cited Section 124 of the 1999 Constitution, asserting that the Assembly has the authority to adjust pension amounts but cannot expand the list of pension eligible public officers, making the bill overreach its constitutional limits.
Pension provisions for state lawmakers in Nigeria remain a contentious and under examined issue. While the spotlight often shines on the generous life pensions and retirement perks granted to former governors and deputy governors, scant attention is given or heard about similar benefits extend to members of State Houses of Assembly.
In recent years, some states have even moved to revoke or scale back pensions for ex executive officials, prompting broader questions about fiscal responsibility and equitable treatment of all public servants.
For instance, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the presentation of 2021 budget estimates, said he would seek to repeal the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension) Law, which has been controversial.
Addressing the lawmakers during the budget presentation, Sanwo-Olu said his administration had concluded plans to repeal the Public Office Holder Payment of Pension Law, which prescribes pension for former governors and deputy governors in the state.
Ten months after the governor made the announcement, the lawmakers acted. But contrary to the repeal, which the governor had proposed, the legislators only slashed the benefits by 50 per cent.
However, in March 2024, the Abia State assembly passed a bill to revoke pensions for ex-governors and deputy governors.
Also, in May 2024, Benue State Assembly repealed a life pension law that had granted monthly stipends, SUVs, and other benefits to former governors and deputies.
