Senator raises hope for social security bill

The lawmaker representing Edo North Senatorial District, in the National Assembly, Senator Domingo Obende, has expressed the hope that his colleagues will consider and pass the social security bill sponsored by him on resumption next week.

He explained in Abuja on Friday that the bill, tagged, an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the National Social Welfare Commission, was intended to serve as the equivalent of the social security scheme in the United States of America.

The bill, meant to alleviate the sufferings of unemployed Nigerians, aged persons and children, could not scale through the third reading in the Senate last Tuesday, because the senators were unable to resolve the source of funding for the take off of the agency.

Obende said, “The bill among others, seeks to provide for the administration of benefits and assistance to enhance the welfare of citizens especially disadvantaged persons, particularly children, women, the handicapped, the sick, aged and unemployed persons in the country.”

He noted that the bill, which was presented for third reading, was meant to be passed last Tuesday.

He said, “After the report had been presented and the parliament had dissolved into the committee of the whole for the clause by clause consideration, the issue bordering on source of funding for the commission to effect the objectives of the bill came up and could not be resolved.”

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Sport and Social Development, Senator Adamu Gumba, had while presenting his committee’s report on the bill, listed the benefits of the bill to Nigeria as the largest economy of Africa.

He said the bill would go a long way in discouraging unemployed youths from engaging in crime.

Gumba said, “The bill is thinking big for Nigeria particularly now that the country has the largest economy in Africa. It is envisaged that we should begin to care for our citizens as is the case in most advanced countries of the world.

“If it is done, we would discourage our unemployed youths from joining robbery gangs, political thugs, terrorist organisations and religious extremists. The intention is to develop Nigeria where every citizen can get basic welfare benefit that can sustain and help him to live.

“…If the bill had scaled through, affected people such as aged persons, unemployed youths and children would be entitled to some benefits which can give them succor.”