Attah Ede Makurdi
The Benue State House of Assembly on Thursday passed the controversial Life Pension Bill initiated by Governor Samuel Ortom.
The bill christened ‘A BILL FOR A LAW TO MAKE PROVISIONS FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF FORMER GOVERNORS OF THE STATE AND THEIR DEPUTIES AND FOR OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED THERETO’ was unanimously passed by the 30 man legislative house.
Speaker of the House Titus Uba presided over the sitting which had held an executive session before the passage at the plenary.
Chairman of the House Committee on Appointment, Public Services and Pension Matters, Geoffrey Agbatse presented the bill before the house and it was read clause by clause
He said that the bill seeks amongst others, to make provision for the payment to the former governors of a monthly “stipend”, equivalent to the “the SALARY” of a sitting/incumbent governor, makes provision for the payment to all former deputy governors of a monthly “stipend”, equivalent to the “the SALARY” of a sitting/incumbent deputy governor, provides for the building of a permanent residential accomodation in any town “of their CHOICE” by the State in Nigeria and provide for the provisions of 4 new cars every 4 years for the former governors and two (2) new cars every 4 years for the former deputy governors which cars shall be serviced and maintained at the expense of the State.
He also, said that it seeks to provide for 6 personal staff for the former governors and 3 for the former deputy governors to be paid for by the State, provide for 24 hours security surveillance and guard for all former governors and their deputies at their direction, provide for free medical treatment for them, their spouses and AT LEAST 4 children under the age of 18.
Agbatse further averred that it
provides that all the above expenses can be MONETIZED or cashed out.
The bill further provides that the former governors are entitled to 2 vacations abroad annually and the former deputy governor to 1 vacation abroad.
Before passage of the bill, members deliberated and amended some clauses including building of a choice house for the former governors and their deputies which was outrightly removed while the number of vehicles for ex-governors was reduced from 4 to 2 while that of their deputies from 2 to 1.
With the passage of the bill Governor Ortom and his predecessors are entitled to 25 million as stipend after every 4 years while their deputies are entitled to 15 million.
Ortom is expected to assent to the bill before the expiration of his tenure on May 29th,2023.
