Senate President Bukola Saraki has urged Houses of Assembly in other states to emulate the Kwara State House of Assembly by passing bills to stop the bleeding of public treasuries in the guise of pension payments to former political office holders.
The bill stopping the payment of pension to former governors and their deputies in Kwara State was passed by the House of Assembly last Tuesday, ending controversies that the Senate President was earning salaries from two sources.
In a statement, Saraki hailed the Speaker of the Assembly, Ali Ahmad, for working to ensure the expeditious passage of the bill.
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed is expected to sign the Bill into law.
When signed into law, former governors and former deputies would no longer earn salaries from the state government whenever they are holding political and public offices.
The statement by Saraki reads: โI am pleased that following my conversation with Kwara Speaker, Ali Ahmad, two months ago, the bill to suspend the payment of pension to former governors and their deputies when they hold a political or public office was passed by the Kwara House of Assembly.โ
Saraki, who was governor between 2003 and 2011, has since been serving as a senator representing Kwara Central.
The payment of salaries for life to some former governors after leaving office drew flaks from a cross-section of Nigerians.
It is expected that other former governors now holding public offices, especially those in the National Assembly, would take steps to have their salaries put on the hold by their various states.
Some serving senators once served as former governors and deputy governors of their states.
The onetime governors are: Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano); Kabiru Gaya (Kano); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Theodore Orji (Abia); Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa); Sam Egwu (Ebonyi); Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara); Joshua Dariye (Plateau) and Jonah Jang (Plateau).
Others are: Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (Sokoto); Ahmed Sani Yarima (Zamfara); Danjuma Goje (Gombe); Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe); Adamu Aliero (Kebbi) and George Akume (Benue).
The former deputy governors are: senators Abiodun Olujimi (Ekiti), Enyinaya Abaribe (Abia) and Danladi Abubakar Sani, who once served as the acting governor of Taraba.
Others who serve as ministers are: Labour & Productivity Minister Chris Ngige (Anambra); Minister of Mines & Steel Development Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Power, Works & Housing Babatunde Fashola (Lagos).
The pension law in Akwa Ibom State provides monthly pensions for former governor governors and former deputies salaries that are equivalent to their successors.
In many of the states, former governors are entitled to official accommodation in the state capitals, official cars, free overseasโ medical treatments for them and members of their families as well as security details and personal staff.
