The Zamfara state house of
assembly has abolished the law that allows former governors, their deputies,
speakers and their deputies to get jumbo pension and other allowances.
The development comes one day
after a letter Abdulaziz Yari, a former governor wrote to Bello Matawalle,
lamenting the non-payment of his monthly N10 million upkeep since August, went
viral.
In a letter dated October 17,
addressed to the governor, Yari said the law which provides for the entitlement
of former governors, deputies, speakers and deputy speakers was amended in
March and that it should not be truncated.
“I wish to humbly draw your
attention to the provision of the law on the above subject matter which was
amended and assented to on the 23rd of March 2019,” he said.
“The law provides, among other
entitlements of the Former Governor, a monthly upkeep allowance of Ten Million
Naira (N10,000,000) only and a pension equivalent to the salary he was receiving
while in office.
“Accordingly, you may wish to be
informed that since the expiration of my tenure on the 29th of May, 2019. I was
only paid the upkeep allowance twice i.e for the month of June and July while
my pension for the month of June has not been paid.
“As the law provides, the pension
and upkeep allowance are not in the category of privileges that can be
truncated without any justifiable reason, hence, the need to request you to
kindly direct the settlement of the total backlog of the pension and upkeep as
provided by the law.”
At plenary on Tuesday, Faruk
Dosara, the house leader, presented a bill, urging his colleagues to consider
scrapping the law which he described as unfair to retired civil servants who
have not been paid their entitlements over the years.
He said going by the law, the
state would spend N700 million annually on former governors, their deputies,
speakers and deputy speakers.
Tukur Tudu, lawmaker representing
Bakura constituency, said the abolishment of the law was necessary as it is
detrimental to the socio-economic well being of the citizens of the state.
Nasiru Magarya, the speaker,
subsequently asked the clerk to accelerate the bill first and second reading.
It was later passed into law and
sent it to the governor for his assent.
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nigerians can you imagine that this is happening in this naija ,so civil servants will not even receive their pension in a year ,but politicians have pension and upkeep allowance that are being paid monthly,yet our presidoor said he is fighting corruption ,chai chai ,,10 million upkeep allowance every month yet these criminals are not satisfy
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