N40bn Double Pay: SERAP Commends Saraki’s Move to Stop
Receiving Pensions
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project
(SERAP) has welcomed the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki’s move to “stop
receiving pensions from Kwara State, where he was the governor between 2003 and
2011.”
The group urged “him to join us in the campaign to
end the unjust, unfair and discriminatory practice of providing life pensions
to former governors and to abolish laws that make this possible.”
Saraki told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at a
Forum in Abuja on Wednesday that he wrote a letter to the state government to stop
the payment of the pension “the moment I saw that SERAP allegation. “No, I’m
not collecting pension; the moment I saw that allegation, I wrote to my state
to stop my pension.”
In a statement issued by SERAP Executive Director, Adetokunbo
Mumuni, the organisation said: “It’s good news that Saraki has publicly made it
known that he has stopped drawing pensions from his state. We hope that other
public officials still receiving double emoluments will follow Saraki’s example
and renounce such practice. We also urge the Senate president to publicly
commit to donating to charities of his choice all pensions and allowances he
has so far collected or such emoluments to the public treasury.”
SERAP also asked “the Senate president to use his
leadership position to urgently facilitate a resolution by the National
Assembly to condemn the practice and institute laws on double pay and life
pensions for former governors now serving public officials; urge state
assemblies to abolish such laws; and call on those who have received such
emoluments to return them to the public treasury.”
SERAP urged “Saraki to work with us to put
meaningful pressure on other states to abolish their unfair and discriminatory
life pension’s laws as well as on serving senators and ministers who continue
to receive double emoluments to end the practice and return all the emoluments
they have so far received to the public treasury. Saraki can start by putting
pressure on the Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, and the state House
of Assembly to move swiftly to abolish the law that has facilitated the payment
of the unjust pensions in the first place.”
SERAP had last week in an open letter called on the
Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) to within seven days
challenge the legality of states’ laws allowing former governors to draw life
pensions from their states.
“SERAP is
concerned that such laws have either the purpose or the effect of denying the
citizens their right to the enjoyment of their commonwealth, and as such,
prolonging the existing and entrenched poverty-gaps across the country. The
implementation of these laws will continue to lock the citizens, especially the
most marginalised and vulnerable groups, into lives of deprivation and
hopelessness,” the group stated.
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