By Milcah Tanimu
Femi Falana, the Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, has called on former governors, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to cease collecting pensions as ex-governors. Falana urged them to follow the example set by former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel and former Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, who have already stopped receiving such pensions.
The human rights lawyer cited the decisions of the Kwara, Imo, and Zamfara state Houses of Assembly, which have abolished the Governors Pension Scheme. He encouraged other Houses of Assembly to follow suit without delay.
Falana also referenced a 2019 judgment by Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo, which declared the payment of pensions to former governors illegal and unconstitutional. The case was filed by the advocacy group Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project against the Attorney-General of the Federation.
He applauded the decisions by Daniel and Dankwambo to halt the receipt of what he referred to as “scandalous pensions.” Falana also highlighted the issue of some former governors receiving double salaries, emphasizing the need for former governors in both the executive and legislative branches to follow the example of Senators Daniel and Dankwambo and reject the payment of illegal pensions.
