* Advocacy group hails governor
Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has hinted his intention to repeal the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007), which provides for payment of pension and other entitlements to former governors and their deputies.
He made this known while presenting the 2021 budget to the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Sanwoolu said the bill would be sent to the Lagos Assembly for legislative approval.
According to Sanwo-Olu, the abolition of pension for former governors and deputies will reduce the cost of governance.
He said: “Mr. Speaker and Honourable members of the House, in light of keeping the costs 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 payment of pension and other entitlements to former governors and their deputies.”
According to the law, former governors of the State are entitled to a house each in any location of their choice in Lagos and Abuja.
Section 2 of the law states that, “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 law also provides for six new cars every three years, 100 per cent of the basic salary of the serving governor (N7.7million per annum), as well as free health care for himself and members of his family.
The law also says former governors will be entitled to furniture allowance, which is 300 per cent of their annual basic salary (N23.3 million); house maintenance allowance, which is 10 per cent of basic salary (N778, 296); utility allowance, which is 20 per cent of the salary (N1.5 million) and car maintenance allowance, which is 30 per cent of the annual basic salary (N2.3 million).
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 (N1.9 million).
A former governor will also be entitled to security personnel comprising eight policemen and two officials of the Department of State Services for life.
Meanwhile, advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has applauded the governor to scrap the said pension scheme.
SERAP, which has been having a running legal battle with governors of the 36 states of the Federation over pension laws for ex-governors, said it is cheered.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oludare, said: “This is a welcome development in line with our consistent advocacy on accountability in governance over the years. More particularly, this is in compliance with the judgment of Honourable Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of the Federal High Court, Lagos in SERAP v. Attorney General of the Federation, mandating the Attorney General of the Federation to challenge the legality of state pension laws and recover monies paid unlawfully to former governors and their deputies.
“SERAP urges the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN,) to immediately fulfill his promise to enforce the judgment in suit number FHC/L/CS/1497/2017 to recover pensions already collected and challenge the legality of all life pension laws in several states across the country.”