•No plan to stop ex-govs’ pension, says Okowa
The National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, has thrown his weight behind the decision of the state Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to repeal a law that empowers the state government to pay pension and provide other benefits to former governors of the state and their deputies.
However, Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has said that his administration has no plans to stop pensions of past governors and their deputies.
Tinubu tweeted yesterday that he supported Sanwo-Olu’s push and urged all APC loyalists to rally round the governor.
“Congratulations to Governor Sanwo-Olu over the Y2021 budget which he appropriately christened” Budget of Rekindled Hope.
“This audacious and enterprising budget will empower our people and begin to rebuild Lagos State.
“In particular, I would also like to commend the fovernor for the plan to commence the repeal of the pension law giving pension packages to former governors and their deputies.
“This is a bold and courageous move by Mr. Governor and I wholeheartedly support him. I encourage all APC loyalists to do the same,” Tinubu tweeted.
Sanwo-Olu had unfolded a plan to stop the payment of pension to his predecessors and former deputy governors at the presentation of the state budget on Tuesday.
He had told the House of Assembly that he would soon send an executive bill to repeal the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007) that empowers the state government to pay pension and provide other welfare benefits, including houses in Lagos and Abuja, vehicles and other accoutrements of comfort to the former governors and their deputies.
“Mr. Speaker and honourable members of the House, in light of keeping the cost 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.
“It is our firm belief that with dwindling revenues and the appurtenant inflationary growth rates, that we need to come up with innovative ways of keeping the cost of governance at a minimum while engendering a spirit of selflessness in public service,” he said.
But Okowa said yesterday that his administration had no plans to stop pensions of past governors and their deputies.
Okowa, said in Asaba that the Lagos State Government might have reasons to repeal its pension law.
“There is an existing law in Delta State on what accrued to the governors and their deputies, that I don’t want to touch.
“We are not thinking in that direction; my counterpart in Lagos may have reasons why he wants the law repealed but we in Delta don’t want to go into that.
“I don’t want to comment on the decision of Lagos State governor. Each state has the power to make a decision concerning its governance,” he added.
