On Monday, the Benue State House of Assembly repealed the law providing lifetime maintenance for former governors and their deputies in the state.
The 9th Assembly controversially passed the pension bill in May 2023, just days before their term ended. The bill extended benefits to former governors and their deputies dating back to 1999.
However, during Monday’s plenary session, the current 10th Assembly repealed the law, citing it was not enacted in good faith. Lawmakers unanimously supported the repeal, deeming the law as anti-people.
According to Daily Trust, the Speaker of the House, Aondona Dajoh, ruled in favour of the unanimous resolution to repeal the “Bill for a law to repeal provision for the maintenance of former elected governors of the state and their deputies and for other matters connected thereto 2024.”
Previously, the 9th Assembly, led by former Speaker Engr. Titus Uba, had passed the bill into law after it was introduced by the then chairman of the House Committee on Business and Rules, Hon. Geoffrey Agbatse.
The bill had outlined generous benefits for former governors and their deputies, including monthly stipends equivalent to the salaries of serving governors and deputies, funded from the state’s consolidated revenue.
The provisions included a monthly stipend equivalent to the basic salary of the incumbent governor and deputy governor for life, maintenance allowance of N25 million and N15 million for the former governors and deputies for every four years, and procurement of two official SUVs for the former governor and one official car for the former deputy governor.
Others are the provision of six personal staff for the former governor, including a personal assistant, two drivers, two cleaners, and one cook three personal staff for the former deputy governor, including a personal assistant, one driver, and one cleaner and provision of security, annual medical expenses, and replacement of vehicles every four years with new ones of the same quality and status.
