By Adedapo Adesanya
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to obey the judgment ordering the federal government to recover pensions collected by former governors and to challenge the legality of states’ pension laws permitting those involved to collect such pensions.
The judgment, dated November 26, 2019, was delivered by Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo following a suit by SERAP.
The organisation called on the FG to emulate Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, who last week signed into law the bill to repeal The Abia State Governors and Deputy Governors Pensions Law No 4 of 2001, following the passing by the Abia State House of Assembly.
Under the repealed law, former governors and deputy governors of the state were paid lifetime salaries and got houses in Abia and Abuja.
In the letter dated March 23, 2024, and signed by SERAP deputy director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “We urge you to emulate the good example of governor Otti by urgently obeying the judgment, something which former president Muhammadu Buhari blatantly failed to do.”
SERAP said, “Unless the judgment is immediately obeyed, former governors and their deputies including those now serving as ministers in your administration and members of the National Assembly who receive pensions would continue to evade justice for their actions.”
The letter also read in part: “SERAP agrees with former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s conclusion that states’ pension laws are ‘acts of daylight robbery’, and his call for such laws to be abolished by other state governors.
“Immediately obeying the judgment would show the sovereignty of the rule of law in Nigeria and go a long way in protecting the integrity of the country’s legal system.”
The group noted many of the former governors were serving as ministers in the Tinubu administration and others as members of the National Assembly are reportedly enjoying pensions from their states while drawing normal salaries and allowances in their new political offices.
“SERAP is concerned that while many Nigerian workers and pensioners have not been paid by state governors for several months and struggle to make ends meet, former governors continue to collect double emoluments and enjoy opulent lifestyles.
“According to our information, those who are reportedly receiving double emoluments and large severance benefits from their states include: Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano); Kabiru Gaya (Kano); Theodore Orji (Abia).
“Others are Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa); Sam Egwu (Ebonyi); Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara); Joshua Dariye (Plateau), and Jonah Jang (Plateau).
“At least 22 states starting from Lagos State have reportedly passed life pensions laws for former governors and other ex-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,” it disclosed.
