In a bid to enforce a court judgement, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, Attorney General of the Federation has written to the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), requesting the list of ex-governors and ministers that are receiving double pay and life pensions.
The letter which was received by SERAP from Mr. Malami, signed on his behalf by Anne C. Akwiwu (Mrs), Director Civil Litigation and Public Law Department, said it wanted the names in order to ensure enforcement and to treat the letter with “utmost urgency.”
“I am writing to inform your esteemed organization to furnish me with the full list of the former governors and ministers which are affected by the judgement by Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo, in order to enhance and ensure compliance with the ruling of the Honourable court. Please, treat with utmost urgency,” Mr. Malami said.
The deputy director of SERAP, Kolawole Oluwadare, in his response, said Nigerians expected the attorney general to take legal actions against the former governors and minsters.
“Any further delay in the enforcement of the judgement will continue to undermine the authority and integrity of the Nigerian Judiciary,” Mr. Oluwadare stated.
SERAP said adherence to the judgement “will be a rare piece of good news for the people of Nigeria, as it will send a powerful message to former governors and ministers that have collected and/or collecting double pay that they will be held to account for their actions, and mark the end of his state-level impunity.”
While SERAP urged the attorney general to instruct the anti-corruption agencies to ‘verify and investigate’ cases of former governors and ministers that have collected and still collecting double pay, it said according to public records, the following former governors are either collecting or have collected double emoluments and large severance benefits from their states: Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso (Kano); Kabiru Gaya (Kano); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Theodore Orji (Abia); Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa); Sam Egwu (Ebonyi); Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara); Joshua Dariye (Plateau) and Jonah Jang (Plateau). Others are: Ahmed Sani Yarima (Zamfara); Danjuma Goje (Gombe); Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe); Adamu Aliero (Kebbi); and George Akume (Benue). Some former governors have denied receiving double payments and retirement benefits as former governors, they include: Senator Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment; Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing; Dr. Kayode Fayemi, former Minister of Mines and Steel Development and Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation.
SERAP also said that although former Senate President, Bukola Saraki stated that he stopped collecting pensions while in the Senate when he saw the allegation by SERAP, the organization asked whether Mr. Saraki returned the public funds he collected as pension.
In replying Mr. Malami, SERAP asked that the laws passed by at least 22 states which allows payment of life pensions to former governors and other ex-public officials be challenged in court. The organization reminded the Attorney-General that judgement by Justice Oguntoyinbo, ordered the government to challenge the legality of states’ pension laws.
“In my humble view, the Attorney-General should be interested in the legality or validity of any law in Nigeria and how such laws affect or will affect Nigerians, being the Chief Law Officer of the Federation,” SERAP quoted Justice Oguntoyinbo as replying to Mr. Malami’s argument saying that Attorney –General could not challenge the states’ pension laws for former governors.
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