The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked President Bola Tinubu to publicly instruct former governors soon to be sworn in as ministers to stop collecting life pensions, exotic cars and other allowances from their respective states. 

“You (Tinubu) would be acting in the public interest by stopping former governors now serving as ministers in your government from collecting life pensions, especially given the current grave economic realities in the country,” SERAP said in a letter signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare at the weekend. 

Last Wednesday, Mr Tinubu announced the names of 45 ministers and assigned to them their portfolios as his cabinet members.

Among the ministers are former Governors; Badaru Abubakar, Nyesom Wike, Bello Matawalle, Adegboyega Oyetola, David Umahi, Simon Lalong, Atiku Bagudu, and Ibrahim Geidam.

SERAP said it was “implicitly forbidden” by the Nigerian Constitution 1999 and the country’s international legal obligations for former governors to receive life pensions while serving as ministers.

It asked Mr Tinubu to instruct the ex-governors to immediately return any pension and allowances they might have collected since leaving office to the public treasury.

“If the ministers that the president appoints are those who collect life pensions rather than serve the public interest, then that may show little about the conduct and integrity of the ministers but speak volumes about the exercise of presidential power of appointment.

“Nigerians will judge you in part by the conduct, integrity and honesty of the ministers that you appoint to work in your government. Ultimately, the success of your government would depend on the conduct of the ministers that you appoint,” SERAP said.

The human rights group explained that while pensioners are not paid their pensions, the former governors get huge severance benefits upon leaving office and are poised to enjoy double payments on top of the opulence of political officeholders. 

It added that it would appreciate it if Mr Tinubu would take the recommended measures it had stated within seven days of receiving its letter, which is already in the public. 

SERAP, however, vowed to consider appropriate legal actions to compel Mr Tinubu’s government to comply with its request in the public interest if his administration refused to take action. 

It posited, “The states currently implementing life pensions for former governors reportedly include Jigawa, Kebbi, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Yobe, and Rivers. Many of these states owe workers’ salaries and remain the poorest in the country.

“Several of the pension laws in these states include provisions for six cars every three years, a house in Lagos worth N750 million, and another in Abuja worth N1 billion, unrestricted access to medical attention, and pensionable cooks, stewards, and gardeners.”

“Other provisions include 100 per cent annual salaries of the incumbent governor, security operatives and police officers permanently assigned to former governors,” the letter further read.