The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to follow the commendable example set by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State.
This involves immediate compliance with a court order directing the Federal Government to reclaim pensions received by ex-governors, and to contest the legality of state pension laws that allow such individuals to receive these excessive pensions.
Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo delivered the judgement on November 26, 2019, following a lawsuit filed by SERAP. It’s worth noting that Governor Otti recently enacted a law repealing ‘The Abia State Governors and Deputy Governors Pensions Law No 4 of 2001’, which had been passed by the state assembly. The repealed law had allowed former governors and deputy governors to receive lifetime salaries and own houses in Abia and Abuja.
In a letter dated March 23, 2024, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Mr. Kolawole Oluwadare, informed Tinubu that until the judgement is fully complied with, ex-governors and their deputies, including those currently serving as ministers and members of the National Assembly, will continue to evade justice.
SERAP emphasized that compliance with the judgement would demonstrate the supremacy of the rule of law in Nigeria and significantly contribute to safeguarding the country’s legal system’s integrity. The organization revealed that over N40 billion has been reportedly collected by ex-governors now serving as ministers and members of the National Assembly.
SERAP concurred with former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s assertion that state pension laws constitute ‘daylight robbery’, and echoed his call for other state governors to abolish such laws. The organization expressed concern that while many Nigerian workers and pensioners have been unpaid for several months and are struggling to make ends meet, ex-governors continue to receive double emoluments and live lavish lifestyles.
SERAP disclosed that, based on the information it has, ex-governors reportedly receiving double emoluments and ‘large severance benefits’ from their states include Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Kabiru Gaya (Kano), and Theodore Orji (Abia), among others.
SERAP added that at least 22 states, starting from Lagos State, have reportedly enacted life pensions laws for ex-governors and other former public officials. Other states include Akwa Ibom, Edo, Delta, Ekiti, Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Bauchi, Abia, Imo, Bayelsa, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Ondo, Ebonyi, Rivers, Niger, Kogi, and Katsina.
