Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State, in a brave move on Tuesday announced his intention to repeal the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007), which provides for payment of pension and other entitlements to former Governors and their Deputies.
He made this known while presenting the 2021 budget to the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Sanwoolu said a bill for this would be sent to the Lagos Assembly for legislative approval.
Abolition of pension for former governors and deputies will reduce the cost of governance, the governor said.
“Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members of the House, in light of keeping the costs of governance low and to signal selflessness in public service, we will be sending a draft executive bill to the House imminently for the repeal of the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007), which provides for payment of pension and other entitlements to former Governors and their Deputies,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Lagos is one of the states that have such scandalous legislations for ex-governors and their deputies. The cost of such provisions for former governors has become a huge drain on the purse of many states, most of which are struggling to survive.
The 2007 legislation in Lagos provides, among other things, for 100 percent of annual basic salaries of the incumbent governor and deputy, while the “the former governor is entitled to six new cars every three years and a house in Lagos and another in Abuja.
In addition, the ex-governor and family, including their spouses and children, both married and unmarried, are entitled to free medical.
Similarly, the former governor is entitled to a cook, steward, gardener and other domestic staff, who are pensionable.
Other states with similar legislations include Abia, Akwa Ibom , Bayelsa, Gombe, Delta, Kano, and Kogi.
