Life pension law for former governors and their deputies has been abolished by the Benue State House of Assembly on Monday..
The
Benue State life pension law is meant to maintain former governors and their
deputies all through their lifetime.
In May
2023, a few days to the end of their tenure, the 9th Assembly had passed the
controversial pension bill to extend benefits to ex-elected governors and their
deputies from 1999.
Those
affected include; former governors George Akume, Gabriel Suswam, Samuel Ortom,
ex-deputy governors, Steven Lawani and Engr Benson Abounu, who are still alive.
But,
the present 10th Assembly, during plenary on Monday repealed the bill passed
into law by their predecessors on account that it was not done in good faith.
The
lawmakers said the law was anti-people and they were unanimous in support of
the repeal after several contributions from members of the House.
Speaker
of the House, Aondona Dajoh, therefore ruled in favour of the unanimous
resolution of the House to repeal the “Bill for a law to repeal provision for
the maintenance of former elected governors of the state and their deputies and
for other matters connected thereto 2024.”
Recall
that the former Speaker of the 9th Assembly, Engr. Titus Uba, had led the
plenary, which earlier passed the bill to law after it was presented on the
floor by the then chairman, House Committee on Business and Rules, Hon.
Geoffrey Agbatse.
The
bill stipulated the conditions of the law to include, payment of a monthly
stipend as a basic pension for former governors and their deputies, equivalent
to the current salaries of the serving governor, from the consolidated revenue
of the state.
“A
monthly stipend equivalent to the Basic salary of a serving/incumbent Governor
in the State for life and which shall be a charge on the Consolidated Revenue
Funds of the state
“The
Deputy Governor shall enjoy a monthly stipend equivalent to the Basic salary of
an incumbent Deputy Governor for life and shall be charged on the Consolidated
Revenue Funds of the State.
“A
maintenance allowance of N25,000,000.00 for the former governor and the deputy
governor is N15,000,000.00 every four years.”
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