Stakeholders seek amendment of pension for Lagos govs, deputy

Stakeholders at a day public hearing on the repeal of law for the payment of pension to past Lagos State Governors and Deputy Governors have called for an amendment to the law rather than total repeal.

The law entitled: “A Bill for a law to repeal the law to provide for the payment of pensions and other fringe benefits to public office holders in Lagos State and for other connected purposes,” went through a public hearing at the assembly premises on Friday.

The law provided that a former Lagos state governor or deputy governor shall be entitled to a pension at the rate of equivalent to the annual basic salary of the incumbent governor or deputy governor and other benefits as provided by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

The schedule of the law stipulated that a former governor and deputy governor are entitled to residential houses in any location of choice in Lagos state.

However, any governor that has served for two consecutive terms would be given an additional House in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

On transportation, it provides for three cars for a former governor, an additional pilot and two backup cars to be replaced every three years.

Also, the deputy governor would be entitled to two cars, one pilot and one backup car to be replaced every three years.

They are both entitled to furniture, domestic staff who shall be pensionable, free medical treatment for them and their immediate family members.

On security, a former governor would is entitled to two DSS details and one female officer, while the deputy governor is entitled to one.

There was also a provision of eight policemen, four each for house and personal security for a former governor and two policemen, one each for house and personal security for a former deputy governor, while their drivers would be pensionable.

Commenting on the Bill, the secretary of the Ikeja branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr Adeyemi Abijo commended the lawmakers for an attempt to repeal the law.

Abijo said that the law itself was against the yearnings of the people.

He said that the law was beyond pension, but that it was aimed at enlarging the coast of past public officeholders.

He, however, said that if any part of the law should be retained, a certain percentage of basic salaries could be given to former governors and deputy governors as it is done in some parts of the United States of America.

“As a former governor you don’t need any support, but security support. They should rather be supporting others.

“The funds that should have been given to them could be used for other purposes,” he said.

Also contributing, the Secretary of the Lagos State chapter of the committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Comrade Bello Ayodele Mustapha said that past leaders are servant leaders and that they should not expect much from the people.

Mustapha said that the purpose of the law was to reduce corruption, but that the purpose had been defeated.

He however said that some parts of the law such as medical, drivers and security for former governors and their deputies should be retained.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of the House Committee on Establishment, Training, Pensions and Public Service said that public hearings were part of the process of making laws in the assembly.

Ogundimu stated that there had been a lot of noise on the law and that it was important for the assembly and the state government to yield to the yearnings of the people.

The Committee Chairman also told journalists in an interview that the House would still wait for the different memoranda from the people of the state.

“We will base our decision on what the people want; whether repeal or an amendment. That was why we invited the people to know what they want, which is why we are here.

“Everybody has his own right, individuals are entitled to their opinion. Any former Governor or Deputy that does not want the pension if perhaps it is amended can donate it to whoever he wants,” he said.

The Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa, was represented by his deputy, Hon Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni said in his keynote address that former public officers holders have also agreed to jettison the pension.

Obasa said that contemporary economic reality in the state called for a repeal of the law so that funds could be used for other developmental purposes.

While saying that the state’s past servant leaders were being immortalised through the law, the Speaker said that it formalised the appreciation of their efforts.

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