By David Kabiyesi
Former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel is determined to priortise the yearning of the masses above his personal pleasure after he shed more lights on why he ordered Ogun State government to stop paying annual pension with immediate effect, iwitnesslive.com can report.
The former Ogun state governor demanded for an exception as 24 states pass life pension for ex-governors, deputies, which would see them smile to the bank N5.6bn annually,
Unless the senators chose to embrace Daniel’s ideology, sitting Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and other 13 senators will get benefits totalling N5.6 billion.
But the shocking move by former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Daniel, to suspend his pension from the state government has been lauded by Nigerians, and put pressure on other 13 ex-governors in the 10th Senate to follow same path.
The global acclaimed engineer succumbed to pressure from members of the public urging political office holders collecting double salaries to desist from doing so.
Daniel, who is representing Ogun East Constituency, in a letter dated June 14, 2023 to the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, requested for the suspension of his monthly pension with immediate effect
He maintained that he could not continue to collect such emolument with free conscience.
“I am not aware if any of the former governors at the 10th Senate has suspended payment of his pension. I wrote the governor to suspend mine without having knowledge of any judgment or prompting against it.”Daniel said
Akpabio, 13 senators are set to earn over N5.6b ex-govs’ pension, benefits from their state lean resources during their stay in the 10th Senate.
With what is accruable to each of the 14 Senators every year, they will be receiving N1.4b per annum, making it N5.6 billion.
Besides the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), other beneficiaries of ex-governors’ pensions are: Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Ibrahim-Hassan Dankwambo (Gombe), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe), Danjuma Goje (Gombe) and Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger).
Akpabio who endorsed the bill specifically, ensured that pension for ex-governors and allowances stands at N200m yearly.
