An Abuja-based rights group – Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Saturday, canvassed a law to repeal pensions of legislators who are former governors.
Speaking through its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, stated that “it is criminal and corrupt for ex-governors who found their ways into the National Assembly to earn double pay.”
HURIWA also asked state Houses of Assembly to repeal the life pension bill for their former governors and other ex-public officials.
The affected states he said, include Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Delta, Ekiti, Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Bauchi, Abia, Imo, Bayelsa, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Ondo, Ebonyi, Rivers, Niger, Kogi and Katsina.
The group said that it is disturbing that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and 13 other Senators will allegedly earn over N5.6 billion as ex-governors’ pension and benefits for the duration of the 10th National Assembly.
Aside from former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, who requested that he be exempted from pension largesse, none of the other 14 senators has publicly recluse from binging on state’s lean resources.
Gbenga Daniel who represents Ogun East, governed Ogun State between 2003 and 2011.
Besides the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), other beneficiaries of ex-governors’ pensions include Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Ibrahim-Hassan Dankwambo (Gombe) and Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara).
Others are, Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe), Danjuma Goje (Gombe) and Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger).
“The 10th National Assembly led by Senator Akpabio and House of Representatives’ Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, must immediately enact a law to stop pensions for ex-governors who are in the parliament.
“It is criminal and corrupt for anyone to earn double pay and purloin the nation’s treasury funded by taxpayers’ money.
“The 10th NASS which is unarguably a retirement home for former governors should do better and expunge this selfish double earning for states to use the money for socio-economic and infrastructure development.”
