21 former political office holders are still drawing millions of dollars in salaries from public purse

Alh. Balarabe Musa 

It would appear that the stringent realities of the national economy and as well the economies of the states, some of whom have gone a-borrowing, is not having a deterrent to the various political wage bills in the country.

The CNPP was reacting to a recent media report that 21 former political office holders are now drawing salaries from public purse, as serving lawmakers and ministers, after using their various state Assemblies to pass laws granting them wide range of entitlements or pension for life as former governors or deputies, expressed displeasure over the development.

In a statement jointly signed by CNPP’s National Chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and the Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu and issued in Abuja on Monday, the umbrella body of Nigerian political parties called on well-meaning Nigerians, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and their affiliates as well as the civil society to strongly condemn the double pay for the ex-officeholders.

“We are dismayed that at a time when an average Nigerian can hardly afford a meal a day with their families, former governors and their deputies, now legislators or ministers get double pay from both their states and the federal government.

“They may argue that there is nothing legally restraining them from double earning from the public purse since the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) Act has not prohibited the former governors or the ex-deputy governors from dual remuneration but the double pay goes a long way to prove that they are wicked and insensitive to the current national realities.

“There is moral burden on these former officeholders to show that they are in the same country, feel the pains of Nigerians and return the largesse from their respective states.

“This is a country where President Buhari recently disclosed that 27 states were struggling to pay salaries despite his administration’s N662 billion bailout funds to the states last year, yet some people serving us as legislators or ministers are getting paid by their states and the federal government.

“Again, these same states that are now unable to pay salaries of workers were swift to pay severance benefits and other largesse to these ex-governors who are now collecting salaries as Senators or ministers”, CNPP noted.

“We call on the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to review its approved payment of 300 percent basic salary as severance allowances for political office holders on leaving office since the ex-governors and their deputies got similar payments on leaving office in their various states before their election as lawmakers or appointment as ministers.

“We also call on well-meaning Nigerians, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and their affiliates as well as the civil society to strongly condemn the double largesse for the ex-officeholders.

“How can one explain to hungry and mass of unemployed youths a situation where ex-governors and their deputies get up to six brand new cars replaceable every three to four years; furniture allowance of 300 percent of their annual salary to be paid every two years, and close to N30 to N200 million per annum as pension, among other benefits, yet they get paid as legislators or ministers?

“These are the same political officeholders that have been alleged to have looted their states treasury dry and would have been in jail in civilized climes for their acts of stealing while in office”, the statement read.