By AAT
The attempt to abolish pension for former Governor and Deputy Governors is another opportunity to deceive electorates, the Sparklight news has gathered.
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has proposed to end the payment of pensions and other entitlements to former governors of the state and their deputies, but the move has not received the backing of other state governors in the country.
This was disclosed by Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu while speaking during the presenting the 2021 budget estimates to the state House of Assembly for approval.
The abolition of pensions will affect all former governors like Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode, as well as their deputies not leaving Babajide Sanwo-Olu when he has done serving his term.
According to the governor,he said the move was to keep the cost of governance low and to signal selflessness in public service.
He said, “Mr Speaker and honourable members of the House, in the light of keeping the cost of governance low and to signal selflessness in public service, we will be sending a draft executive bill to the House imminently for the repeal of the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension) Law, 2007, which provides for the payment of pensions and other entitlements to former governors and their deputies.
“It is our firm belief that with dwindling revenues and the appurtenant inflationary growth rates, that we need to come up with innovative ways of keeping the cost of governance at a minimum, while engendering a spirit of selflessness in public service.”
The Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension) Law No. 11 official Gazette of Lagos State, 2007 states that former governors of the state are entitled to a house each in any location of their choice in Lagos and Abuja.
Section 2 states, “One residential house each for the governor and the deputy governor at any location of their choice in Lagos State and one residential house in the Federal Capital Territory for the governor on two consecutive terms.”
The state government built houses for former governors of the state in Lagos and Abuja in line with the law.
A former governor is also entitled to six new cars every three years, 100 per cent of the basic salary of the serving governor (N7.7m per annum) as well as free health care for himself and members of his family.
The law also states that former governors will be entitled to furniture allowance, which is 300 per cent of their annual basic salary (N23.3m); house maintenance allowance, which is 10 per cent of basic salary (N778,296); utility allowance, which is 20 per cent of the salary (N1.5m); and car maintenance allowance, which is 30 per cent of the annual basic salary (N2.3m).
Other benefits include entertainment allowance, which is 10 per cent of the basic salary (N778,296); and a personal assistant, who will earn 25 per cent of the governor’s annual basic salary (N1.9m).
The law adds that a former governor is entitled to domestic workers comprising a cook, a steward, a gardener and others, whose appointments are pensionable.
A former governor is also entitled to eight policemen and two operatives of the Department of State Services for life, according to the Lagos law.
The reality is that, the entitlement will not be removed from the new law while cummulative of monthly pension in payment will be redesigned and paid either yearly under a new name.
Let us wait and see!