Breakdown of ex-Lagos Govs's pension, why Sanwolu makes move to stop it.

 Former Governors and deputy governors of Lagos including Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, and Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode will lose their hefty pensions and emoluments, if Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s new governance cost-cutting offensive yields result.

Yesterday, Governor Sanwo-Olu announced plans to repeal the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007), which provides for payment of pension and other entitlements to former governors, deputies and categories of public workers.

Sanwo-Olu disclosed this while presenting the Year 2021 budget proposals of N1.155 trillion tagged: ‘The Budget of Rekindled Hope’ to members of the State House of Assembly for consideration and approval.

The event had in attendance Deputy Governor Femi Hamzat; Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Kazeem Alogba; Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mrs Folashade Jaji; Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Tayo Ayinde; members of the state executive council, Members of the Governor’s Advisory Council, GAC, of the All Progressives Congress, APC; and Chairman of APC in Lagos, Alhaji Tunde Balogun among others.

According to the governor, the abolishment of pension for former governors and deputies will reduce the cost of governance in the state.

He said: “Mr. Speaker and 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.

“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 costs of governance at a minimum while engendering a spirit of selflessness in public service.”

The governor said the bill will be sent to the Lagos State House of Assembly to formally repeal the law.

Section 2 of the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension) Law No 11 Official Gazette of 2007 provides that former governors and their deputies shall be entitled to 100 per cent of the basic salary of the incumbent governor (N7.7million per annum), and free health care for them and their immediate family members.

The law provides for one residential house each for the ex-governor and his deputy at any location of their choice in Lagos State and one residential house in the Federal Capital Territory for the governor who served two consecutive terms estimated to cost between N500 million and N700 million.  The law further provides for six new cars for a former governor (four for the deputy) which must be replaced every three years.

Former governors of the state are also entitled to furniture allowance – 300 percent of annual basic salary (N23.3million); house maintenance allowance – 10 percent of annual basic salary (N778,296); utility allowance – 20 percent of annual basic salary (N1.5million), and car maintenance allowance – 30 percent of the annual basic salary (N2.3million). There is also an entertainment allowance, 10 percent of the annual basic salary (N778, 296); and a personal assistant who will earn 25 percent of the governor’s annual basic salary (N1.9 million).

A former governor is also entitled to eight policemen and two Department of State Services, DSS, operatives for life while his deputy is entitled to two police, one each for house and personal security.