by Ade Jacobs
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has disclosed that the state will no longer be able to afford payment of pension for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Babatunde Raji Fashola and other former governors and deputy governors of the state.
This means that the duo, along with other ex-governors and ex-deputy governors will no longer be entitled to the N30 million pension they now receive annually, a house in Lagos and Abuja, six brand new cars every three years, medical allowances in any part of the world and other allowances.
Sanwo-Olu said this was due to “dwindling revenue to the state government’s account.”
The governor, therefore, requested the Lagos State House of Assembly to approve an executive bill which it will send to repeal the existing pension law that allows all former governors and deputy governors in the state to be paid pension and other benefits.
Speaking during the 2021 budget presentation to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Lagos on Tuesday, he said, “We will be sending an executive bill in a couple of weeks to this honourable house to repeal the pension law.
“This pension law is for pension paid to former public officers such as the former governors and former deputy governors.
“The repeal of the act is due to the dwindling revenue to the state government’s account,” he said.
365Daily recalls that a Federal High Court in Lagos had directed the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to recover pension collected by former governors now serving as ministers and members of the National Assembly, and to challenge the legality of states’ pension laws permitting former governors and other ex-public officials to collect such pensions.
This was in response to a suit filed by SERAP challenging payment of pension to former chief executive officers of states who had taken up other positions in the government, especially in the National Assembly and as ministers, thus receiving double pay from the government.