Kwara: Bill stopping ex governors’ bogus retirement payment passes second reading

By A’isha Biola Raji

The bill seeking to stop the payment of huge pensions to past governors and deputies of Kwara State has passed the second reading in the state House of Assembly.

RovingNaija reports that since creation of the state in 1967, there had been 19 past governors and administrators many whom are still alive, and are drawing over 1.3bn monthly as pension, putting a gaping hole in the limited Kwara state pocket.

In a recent post on his twitter handle, the state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, said Kwara can not afford to pay N30,000 minimum wage due to the huge burden of payments to such leakages.

“In line with our campaign mantra and the yearnings of our people, next week I will be sending a bill to the State House of Assembly to revoke the law awarding pension packages to former governors and former deputy governors in Kwara State.”

According to the governor, the state needs all the resources at its disposal to execute projects and take care of the yearnings of ordinary citizens in the state.

“Our state needs all the resources it can get to improve our human capital development. I believe our limited resources are better spent on tackling the question of poverty and youth unemployment.”