Twenty-one senators are currently receiving pensions from
government as ex-governors and deputy governors.
The current senators who once served as governors are Bukola
Saraki of Kwara, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano, Kabiru Gaya of Kano, Godswill
Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, Theodore Orji of Abia, Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa, Sam
Egwu of Ebonyi, Shaaba Lafiagi of Kwara, Joshua Dariye of Plateau Jonah Jang of
Plateau, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto, Ahmed Sani Yarima of Zamfara,
Danjuma Goje of Gombe, Bukar Abba Ibrahim of Yobe, Adamu Aliero of Kebbi,
George Akume of Benue and Isiaka Adeleke of Osun.
The former deputy
governors in the Senate are Ms Biodun Olujimi of Ekiti and Enyinaya Harcourt
Abaribe of Abia. Danladi Abubakar Sani served as the acting governor of Taraba
state.
Many former governors are also in Buhari's Cabinet as
Ministers. This includes: Ngige, Fayemi, Amaechi and Fashola (SAN).).
In Akwa Ibom State, the law provides that ex governors and
deputy governors receive pension equivalent to the salaries of the incumbent.
The package also includes a new official car and a utility vehicle every four
years; one personal aide; a cook, chauffeurs and security guards for the
governor at a sum not exceeding N5 million per month and N2.5 million for his
deputy governor.
In Rivers, the law provides 100 percent of annual basic
salaries for the ex-governor and deputy, one residential house for the former
governor “anywhere of his choice in Nigeria”; one residential house anywhere in
Rivers for the deputy, three cars for the ex-governor every four years and two
cars for the deputy every four years.
It is alleged that in Lagos, a former governor will get two
houses, one in Lagos and another in Abuja, estimated at N500 million in Lagos
and N700 million in Abuja. He also receives six new cars to be replaced every
three years; a furniture allowance of 300 percent of annual salary to be paid
every two years, and a N30 million pension annually for life.
This is the reality for all the 21 ex-governors and deputy
governors who are currently serving as senators. This same is also true of ex-governors who are now serving as Ministers.
Yet these senators are in the Senate that is inviting the
current finance minister to discuss the recession of Nigeria's economy. A
senator pockets approximately 30 million naira monthly as salary and
allowances. Our "honorable" are not interested to make laws that
could restructure our country into economically autonomous federating
States/Regions to save the country from sectional agitations that is
threatening to destroy Nigeria. The sad
and hopeless situation is that the rest of Nigerians are busy arguing based on
party, ethnic and affiliations while these enemies of state continue to rape
us.
Do you know that it costs tax payers 290m Naira yearly to
maintain each member of our National Assembly in a country where nothing works
& 80% of population earn below 300 Naira a day ? A working day earning of a
senator is more than a yearly income of a doctor; it's more than the salary of
42 Army generals or 48 professors or 70 commissioners of police or more than
twice the pay of the US President or 9 times the salary of US congressmen.
CONCLUSION: While all these individuals rip us off, all we
do as a people is fight over our political differences. Some of us even fight
to protect the interest of certain corrupt politicians merely for ethnic or
geo-political reasons. And these are selfish animals in human clothing that
don't know or care a hoot about them. When really are the Nigerian people going
to wise up?
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