May 29: Retiring governors fleece states with bogus retirement benefits
*Hundreds of millions of Naira up as annual entitlements
BY ORIAKU IJELE
As if to reinforce the fact that politics in Nigeria is transactional, an ugly trend seems to be playing out at the moment in various State Houses, where the governors are concluding their terms and preparing to hand over to new successors in the next couple of weeks.
Daily Times gathered exclusively that the governors are holding on to claims of delivering 8 years of service to allocate spurious entitlements to themselves as disengagement benefits. In some instances, the funds that will be accruing to the governors even while in retirement would be running into hundreds of millions of Naira annually.
In one of the South-south states, a governor is set to ensure that the State’s House of Assembly smoothens a bill called ‘The Governor and Deputy Governor Pensions Rights and other Benefits Law’ which would ensure that he maintains his grip on the treasury of the state after leaving office in May.
A source told Daily Times that, “The Governor and Deputy Governor Pension Rights and other Benefits Law was first prepared in 2005 by a former governor of the state. The law was amended in 2009. The law will take effect in about eight (8) weeks time when the incumbent governor will vacate the office for his predecessor, whom he singled handedly installed.”
With the new law some of the benefits accruable include: Allowances and other benefits pegged at N50m yearly; furnished duplex in the state or any other state in the country, worth over N300 million; 350% gratuity of his basic salary for the first tenure; gratuity of 450% of his basic salary for second tenure; Pension of 70% salary of first term; Pension of 80% salary of second term; Medical treatment for him and members of his immediate family; Two vehicles, including a utility vehicle, not below the sum of N20 million each, every two years; Two armed policemen and one Department of State Security officer; 15 days annual vacation in any place of his choice and other benefits; An office with four aides, each of the four domestic workers will earn N100,000 monthly.
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With what is going on, other retiring state chief executives are adopting the template and updating their emoluments according to the resources available in their states.
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