Disclose pensions paid to you as ex-governors, SERAP tells Akpabio, others

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has challenged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio,  and other 13 former governors in the Senate to disclose the total amount of life pensions that they have received from their states.

There are 14 former governors in the 10th Senate and SERAP in a letter by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said: “Your constitutional oath of office, under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) requires you to publicly reject and return any pensions…Promptly clarify if you have collected and/or currently collecting life pensions as former governors from your respective states, to stop collecting any such pensions and return the pensions collected to the treasury.”

SERAP said public function’ means activities in the public interest, not against it, and that the alleged collection by former governors of life pensions from their respective states amount to private self-interest, and was detrimental to public interest.

The letter, read in part: “Nigerians expect you to act in the public interest including by ending the collection of any life pensions from your respective states and returning any such pensions that may have been collected to the treasury. Collecting life pensions as former governors while in the Senate would clearly violate constitutional provisions and amount to taking advantage of entrusted public positions. Ending the practice of former governors in the Senate collecting life pensions from their states would improve public confidence in the integrity and honesty of the National Assembly. It would show that the Senate can focus on serving the public interest rather than looking after themselves.

“We urge you to emulate former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who stopped collecting life pension as a former governor of Kwara State and described life pensions by former governors as “immoral”, following a request by SERAP.”

There are 14 former governors in the 10th Senate who may be collecting life pensions running into billions of naira from their respective states. The former governors are Godswill Akpabio (Akwa-Ibom); Adams Oshiomhole (Edo); Adamu Aliero (Kebbi); Dave Umahi (Ebonyi); Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); and Abubakar Bello (Niger). Others are Ibrahim Danwkambo (Gombe); Danjuma Goje (Gombe); Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara); Gbenga Daniel (Ogun); Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto); Orji Kalu (Abia); Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe); and Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa).