No fewer than 14 sitting senators, including the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, will draw pensions and other benefits worth N5.6 billion from their states, for the duration of the 10th Senate.
Except the former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Daniel, who has requested that he be exempted from pension largesse, none of the other 14 senators has publicly urged their state governments to suspend their pension.
Besides the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), other beneficiaries of ex-governors’ pensions are: Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Ibrahim-Hassan Dankwambo (Gombe), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe), Danjuma Goje (Gombe) and Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger).
Guardian investigation revealed that on the average, former governors earn N100 million yearly, including 100 per cent of the basic salary of incumbent governors, which the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) puts at N11.54 million.
Their allowances include furniture, 300 per cent of the annual basic; two brand new vehicles every four years, accommodation anywhere in the country, free medication for the ex-governor and his immediate family; Cooks, Stewards, Utility, Drivers and security.
With what is accruable to each of the 14 Senators every year, they will be receiving N1.4b per annum, making it N5.6 billion for four years apart from their salaries and sundry allowances in the senate.
The lifelong largesse is higher in states like Lagos, Akwa Ibom and Rivers. Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had in 2020, sent a bill to the State House of Assembly to repeal the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007), which provided jumbo payment of pension and other entitlements to former governors and their deputies.
Sanwo-Olu said stopping the pension would reduce the cost of governance, as well as signal selflessness in public service.
But the bill was amended by the Lagos State Assembly. It slashed the pension by 50 per cent and expunged provision of houses in Abuja and Lagos.
When contacted to clarify if the President is still receiving pension from Lagos State government, former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, in a short message, said: “Let your man in Alausa find out. Our executive council is dissolved and I should not be speaking on official matters.”
