The Benue State House of Assembly has repealed the law for lifetime pension and other benefits of former elected governors and their deputies.
Recall that few days to the end of the last assembly, lawmakers passed the controversial pension bill to extend benefits to ex-elected governors and their deputies from 1999.
Titus Uba, the 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was the speaker of the assembly.
But, during plenary on Monday, May 27, 2024, the assembly repealed the bill passed into law by their predecessors on account that it was not done in good faith.
The lawmakers said the law was anti-people and they were unanimous in support of the repeal after several contributions from members of the House.
Speaker of the House, Aondona Dajoh, ruled in favour of the unanimous resolution of the House to repeal the “Bill for a law to repeal provision for the maintenance of former elected governors of the state and their deputies and for other matters connected thereto 2024.”
The bill had stipulated conditions of the law to include, payment of monthly stipend as basic pensions for former governors and their deputies, equivalent to the current salaries of the serving governor, from the consolidated revenue of the state.
Other benefits include: “A monthly stipend equivalent to the basic 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.
“The deputy governor shall enjoy a monthly stipend equivalent to the Basic salary of an incumbent Deputy Governor for life and shall be charge on the Consolidated Revenue Funds of the State.
“A maintenance allowance of N25,000,000.00 (Twentyfive Million Naira) for the former Governor and the Deputy Governor N15,000,000.00 (Fifteen Million Naira) every four (4) years.”
It also offers the “procurement of two official SUVs of the status of the former governor and one official car for the deputy governor while the state government is mandated to avail a former governor with six personal staff, one personal assistant, two drivers, two cleaners and one cook.”
A former deputy governor, according to the law, will enjoy three personal staff, one personal assistant, one driver and one cleaner.
“There will also be provision of security, yearly medical expenses, replacement of vehicles every four years with new ones of same quality and status,” the old law stipulated.