ON Tuesday, April 11, 2023, the news of a proposed pension for former governors of Benue State and their deputies moved from rumour to reality when the Benue State House of Assembly received the Executive Bill proposed by outgoing Governor Samuel Ortom and processed it through first reading at its plenary session the same day.
A copy of the bill obtained by National Record is entitled: “A Bill for a Law to Make Provisions for the Maintenance of Former Governors of the State and Their Deputies and for Other Matters Connected Thereto”.
By this title, the bill is designed to be retroactive, taking effect from 1999, and thus meant to benefit the state’s former governors and their deputies, beginning from Senator George Akume, Senator Gabriel Suswam and Chief Steven Lawani as well as incumbent but soon-to-be ex-governor, Samuel Ortom and his deputy, Engr. Benson Abounu.
Akume’s deputy, Chief Ogiri Ajene is late; so also, are former civilian governors, Aper Aku and Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu and their respective deputies. However, if passed into law, a huge resources will have to be dedicated to the payment of the backlog to the former civilian governors and their deputies including perhaps the deceased leaders, since the law is primed to be retroactive.
Although, the word pension is not mentioned anywhere in the bill. From the wordings of the bill as written by Governor Ortom, one will not be wrong if the bill is called either “Maintenance” or “stipend” Bill.
Not minding the word, stipend, the bill is a list of sumptuous heavenly benefits and entitlements for Benue’s former governors and their deputies, to be savoured for life.
This package of earthly bliss is on first line charge; that is, the expenses are guaranteed on the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State.
What this means is that the entitlements, if passed by the State House of Assembly and signed into law by Governor Ortom before he exits, their payment literally takes precedence over many recurrent state expenditures like running of the civil service, including the payment of workers’ salaries, gratuities and retirees’ pensions, education, health, infrastructure provisioning, amongst many other essential state operations.
Curiously, all the entitlements, with the inexplicable exception of vacation expenses can be converted into cash and paid out to the beneficiaries.
We will leave bureaucrats with the competence to do the calculation and bring out the fiscal burden on the state if the bill becomes law, as we publish verbatim below the bill as submitted by His Excellency, Governor Samuel Ortom:
A BILL FOR A LAW TO MAKE PROVISION FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF GOVERNORS OF THE STATE AND THEIR DEPUTIES AND FOR OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED THERETO
BE IT ENACTED by the House of Assembly of Benue State as follows:
- The law may be cited as maintenance of former Governors of Benue State and their deputies Law 2023 and shall be deemed to have come into force on the.……… Day of… ……… 1999
- The person who has served as Governor and deputy Governor of Benue State shall be entitled:
a) (i) A monthly stipend equivalent to the 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;
(ii) The Deputy Governor shall enjoy a monthly stipend equivalent to the salary of an incumbent Deputy Governor for life and shall be charged on the Consolidated Revenue Funds of the State.
b) A residential permanent accommodation in any town of their choice, built by the state in Nigeria.
c) Four official cars (chufeaux [sic] driven) and to be maintained by the state while the Deputy Governor shall have two (2) official cars;
d) Six personal staff for the former Governor to be paid for by the state namely:
i. One personal assistant
ii. Two drivers
iii. Two cleaners
iv. One cook;
e) Three personal staff of the former Deputy Governor to be paid for by the state namely:
i. One personal assistant
ii. One driver
iii. One cleaner
f) Security personnel on a 24-hour guard and surveillance as he may direct them in his life time.
g) Medical expenses for themselves, spouses and at least four (4) children under the age of not above [sic] 18 years;
h) The vehicles shall be replaced for [sic] every four (4) years as the case may be with new ones of the same quality.
- The entitlements of the former Governor and former Deputy Governor above may be monetized for in a accordance with the extant monetary policy of the State.
- Expenses for two trips abroad per years of former governor and one trip per year by the former Deputy Governor shall be taken care of by the State.
- The Governor and deputy shall not enjoy another emolument from Federal or State Government once they are placed on the benefits under this Law.
- This Law applies to democratically elected Governors and Deputies under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I assent/withhold assent the ……….. day of……… 2023.
SAMUEL ORTOM
EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR
BENUE STATE NIGERIA
