SERAP Urges President Tinubu to Stop Former Govs From Collecting Pensions as Ministers

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP has urged President Bola Tinubu to “publicly instruct the former governors who are now serving as ministers in his administration to stop collecting life pensions, exotic cars and other allowances from their states while they serve as ministers.

SERAP urged him to “instruct the former governors to immediately return any pension and allowances that they may have collected since leaving office to the public treasury.”

In the letter dated August 19, 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said, “The appointment of former governors who collect life pensions while serving as ministers is implicitly forbidden by the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international legal obligations.”

SERAP disclosed that  the president would be acting in the public interest by stopping former governors now serving as ministers  from collecting life pensions, especially given the current grave economic realities in the country.”

SERAP further stated that  Nigerians will judge the presidency in part by the conduct, integrity and honesty of the ministers he appoints to work in his government.

Meanwhile SERAP recalled   the president’s inaugural speech, where  promises were made stipulating that his administration will be guided by ‘the principle of the rule of law, a shared sense of fairness and equity, and that ‘Nigeria will be impartially governed according to the constitution.’”

SERAP reiterates however that former governors collecting life pensions while serving as ministers would amount to taking advantage of entrusted public positions.”