A former Secretary to the Niger State Government, Prof Yahaya Kuta, has said that former governors who receive life pensions, exotic cars and other benefits from their states while they serve as ministers bear a moral burden.
Kuta said the ministers should emulate the former Ogun State governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel, who said he wrote to the state government to suspend his pension since he became a senator.
The former SSG said this while speaking to our correspondent on Saturday. He spoke against the backdrop of calls by civil society organisations, especially the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, which urged President Bola Tinubu to order the former governors in his cabinet to stop collecting pensions.
Last Monday, Tinubu inaugurated a set of former governors as his cabinet members. They include Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), and Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe).
After serving as the governor of Kwara State from 2003 to 2011, the former Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki, said he stopped receiving pensions from the state in August 2017. SERAP had applauded the move.
The former SSG noted, “They should take a cue from Senator Gbenga Daniel who wrote his state governor to henceforth stop his pension from the state.
“That is the spirit! They don’t need to be told as it’s a moral burden to take double ration when your citizens are in serious pain of hunger, deprivation and despair.”
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