Lagos halves ex-governors pension

Lagos State House of Assembly has approved the report of its Committee on Establishment which recommends the reduction of pensions to former governors and other affected officials by 50%.

The committee also expunged the provision of houses in Abuja and Lagos for former governors as stipulated in an earlier law operated by the state.

The report further showed a reduction in the number of vehicles to be made available to former governors and their deputies.

Speaker of the House, Chief Mudashiru Obasa suggested that former governors should get two vehicles (a car and a van) instead of three as recommended by the committee.

He also suggested that the amended bill should provide that the cars be changed every four years instead of the three years recommended by the report.

While some of the lawmakers, at plenary suggested an upward review of the pension for the affected public office holders by 75%, others argued that the pension remains as stipulated in the old law.

However, Obasa argued that it should be left at 50%, especially as the report had recommended the removal of houses and reduced other benefits.

While recalling the recent murder of the president of Haiti, Obasa said it was necessary to also secure the lives of the former political officeholders.

“By virtue of my office, I have seen former Speakers who we just had to intervene in their lives because of the situations they found themselves in outside the office. We have also seen former governors in a very bad situation,” he said.

Obasa noted the argument of his colleagues that the projected downward review of the pension for the former governors and others could also be affected by inflation and other economic considerations but reminded that the House must meet the wishes of the people one of which is a cut in the cost of governance.

Some of the lawmakers who supported the report of the committee said it would have a positive impact on the internally generated revenue of the state. (Radionigeria)