Saraki has returned his entire pension, says Kwara
The Kwara state government says senate president Bukola Saraki has returned the entire money paid to him as pension.
Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, had on Sunday asked Saraki to return the pension paid to him by the state government since 2007.
He also asked him to relinquish the house the state government bought for him in Abuja.
A statement released on Wednesday by Sola Isiaka, secretary to the Kwara state government, said Saraki has refunded the total amount he received as pension.
It read: “The attention of Kwara state government has been drawn to issues surrounding the payment of pensions to former governors of the state, especially the senate president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, CON.
“As a result, the state government wish to make the following clarifications: That Dr Saraki, as a two-term governor, is entitled to pension as stipulated by the third schedule, Paragraph D (i) of the governor and deputy-governor ((payment of pension) Law, No. 12 of 2010 of Kwara state.
“That the said pension has been duly remitted to his account, like other former governors’, since he left office but when via a letter dated 20th August 2015 addressed to the state government, Dr Saraki requested that the payment of pension to his account be stopped and the amount already credited to the account be refunded to the government, the state government promptly complied.
“That the government not only stopped the payment of the said pension, the amount already paid into Dr Saraki’s account since he left office was deducted from the money owed to him as well as his other outstanding lawful entitlements.
“In view of the foregoing, it should be noted that neither the Kwara state government nor Dr Bukola Saraki violated the state pension law or any other law for that matter. The state pension law empowers the state government to pay pension to former governors of the state.”
The state government added that Saraki, on his own volition, “considered the morality of the situation in which the pension would put him since he is still a serving senator and chose to abandon his legal rights”.
However, it was silent on whether the house it reportedly bought for the senate president had been returned as well.
Last week, Saraki said he had written to the Kwara state government regarding stopping his pension.
This followed the allegation by the Socio-Economic and Accountability Project (SERAP) that the senate president and some former governors, who now hold political office, were receiving double pay.
Dr. Bukola Saraki “considered the morality of the situation in which the pension would put him since he is still a serving senator and chose to abandon his legal rights”.
It is high time our political elites had deep consideration for morality (far and beyond legal rights, political obligations and constitutional provision) in their dealings as regards matters of State affairs (governance).
Suffice to note that this gesture by the Senate President is welcomed, but it is also belated and forced. Were it not for the pressure exerted by the masses and the media, the outcome might not well be what we read today.
Kudos to those that spoke out and stood up against the rot and corruption in the land. Pressure must be mounted on other beneficiaries of this amoral pension packages for erstwhile governors to refund and returned such accrued benefits they have gotten.
Efforts must be made to see to it that the self-serving laws put in place across the states of the federation which confer the ‘right’ to pay past governors whooping (pension) benefits after their tenures be STOPPED and ABROGATED!!!
One is not fooled by the gesture of the Senate President stopping and refunding the pension benefits…it is borne out of political consideration and social grandstanding… all done to be in vantage position for the next electioneering campaig.
Idont believe this story.Where is the proof.
Investigative journalists should do their due diligence and confirm the strory with relevant evidence. Enough of the slight of hand and voodoo politics. Senate president waited till he was accused before asking the state to stop paying what doesn’t belong to him. . . . He had to be cajoled to put out press release of related refunds. Sh*t smells!!!
Your comment..All others enjoying such benefits should be forced to refund the money with immediate effect n automatic alacrity.
When was the pension stopped? From this story, Kwara state claimed it was stopped via a letter dated 20th August 2015. From the senate president response, it was like he just gave an instruction to the stop the payment recently. Is there any truth in this story? Just asking…….
IF THIS STORY IS TRUE, THEN IT IS A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT FOR US. IT IS TRULY IMMORAL THAT A FORMWER GOVERNOR NOW SENATOR, AS WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF THEM, ARE RECEIVING VERY JUMBO/OUTRAGEOUS SALARIES/ALLOWANCES AS SENATORS, AND ARE STILL COLLECTING PENSIONS. THIS IS IMMORAL AND EVEN LEGALLY, UNACCEPTABLE. THE PROBLEM IS THAT NIGERIAN/DEVELOPING WORLD POLITICIANS, SIMPLY SEE POLITICS AS A WAY TO SELF ENRICHMENT, RATHER PUBLIC SERVICE. AS TO THE VERACITY OF THIS NEWS/CLAIMS, ONE WOULD THINK THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF WE SAW SOME DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE, EG A SIGNED LETTER FROM DR SARAKI, ADDRESSED TO THE KWARA AUTHORITIES ABOUT THE ISSUE. THIS IS WHERE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IS IMPORTANT, AND HELPS TO UNDERLINE THE VERACITY OF MATTERS OR OTHERWISE. ON THE BALANCE, NIGERIA AS A COUNTRY IS A CESSPIT, THAT IS CATACLYSMICALLY ODIOUSLY CORRUPT, AS MANIFESTED BY SENATORS COLLECTING PENSIONS FROM THEIR STATE WHERE THEY SERVED AS GOVERNORS, AND COLLEC TING SALARIES FROM THE NATIONAL PARLIAMENT. VERY SAD.