Plateau State Assembly Withdraws Lawmakers’ Life Pension Bill

The Plateau State House of Assembly announced Wednesday that it had withdrawn a bill that would have granted life pensions and other retirement benefits to former lawmakers, principal officers and presiding officers. Majority Leader and chairman of the Joint Committee on Rules and Business, Finance and House Services, Joseph Gokum, confirmed the withdrawal at a press conference in Jos, citing the need to heed the concerns of labor unions, civil‑society groups and residents.

Opposition, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress and a coalition of local civil‑society organisations, described the proposal as insensitive and wasteful at a time when the state is struggling to pay arrears to retired civil servants and to negotiate a new minimum wage. Threats of protests and industrial action were voiced, and the Assembly said it was respecting the position of stakeholders given the prevailing economic hardships.