Witness narrates how Ex-HoS, allies diverted public funds to private companies in court
Lagos to stop pension payments for former governors, deputies
By Emmanuel Awosika
The Lagos State Government has announced plans to scrap the Pension Law that mandates payments of pension and other benefits for former governors and deputy-governors.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made the announcement while presenting the 2021 budget before the State House of Assembly on Assembly.
According to him, the harsh economic condition made continued payments of such entitlements unsustainable.
The Governor said he would send an Executive Bill to scrap the pension law, saying it would help lower cost of running government and also foster selflessness among public office holders.
His words: “In the 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 immediately 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.
“It is our firm belief that with dwindling revenues and the apparent inflationary rates, we need to come up with innovative ways of keeping the cost of governance at a minimum while engineering a spirit of selflessness in public service.”
Under the present pension law, every ex-governor is entitled to the following entitlements: a N30 million pension, a house in Lagos and Abuja, six new cars at every three-year interval, medical allowances and treatment in hospital of choice in any part of the world, among other allowances.
The Lagos State House of Assembly passed the pension law in 2007.
Sanwo-Olu has received commendation for his efforts to repeal the pension law, with some calling it long overdue.
A former lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Sultan Adeniji-Adele, urged other governors to mirror Sanwo-Olu’s actions in confronting the present economic downturn.
