The recent bill by the Lagos State Assembly, targeted at reducing pension of ex-Governors of the state by 50 per cent amid economic woes is deceitful, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) called Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), has said.
In a signed statement sent to Grassroots.ng by the Chairman of HEDA, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, said the organization it was ridiculous of the elected officials to be thinking of a special economic protection for former governors, while the country was facing a declining economic glory.
He said the attitude of the lawmakers was like pouring water in an ocean, adding that the ex-governors were already more than comfortable and do not need pampering at public expense.
“We are shocked by the hypocritical and selfish decision of the State House of Assembly to reduce the package for the former State Governors rather than approving the proposal as sent by the state’s executive.
“The truth of the matter is that, having served the state for between four to eight years, with their salaries and emoluments paid apart from a string of perks and privileges including unquestionable security votes, it is ridiculous that the public will continue to shoulder their personal needs after they have left the office.
“Part of the pension benefits include but are not restricted to cash in millions of Naira, a fleet of cars to be changed in every three years and houses to be built for them all at public expense.
“Under the new package the ex-governors would now receive three new cars to be changed every four years and huge financial support. There were speculations that the office of Speaker of the Assembly was also smuggled into the list of beneficiaries of the largesse,” Suraju said.
He said the decision of the state government to reduce the pension of former governors by 50 per cent was also a breach of the earlier public commitment and original bill submitted to the Assembly by the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to entirely abolish the privilege.
“It would be recalled that Sanwo-Olu earlier said that the state was going to stop the reckless and insensitive package,” he added.
The HEDA said the former governors are not career workers like civil servants who often put in up to 35 years into public service. He said the 50 per cent slash fails to address the fundamental issue which is that the former governors do not deserve to live on public funds after they have left to continue their mostly profit driven private businesses.
He argued that payment to former governors was a decision that has to be taken in consultation with the taxpayers and not an imposition by 40 members of the State House of Assembly, hence, appealed to Sanwo-Olu to withhold signing the bill into law
Suraju thereby urged the state government to concentrate on providing stimulus packages that could create more jobs and address the growing youth unemployment in the state, which threatened the livelihood of millions of people in the state.