The Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, at the weekend said the 2019 law on pension rights and benefits for former governors and their deputies who completed their tenures, as amended to include former acting governors, would not be tampered with during his administration. The governor said his counterpart in Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo- Olu, was on his own since ‘the Centre of Excellence and the Big Heart state were not operating the same law’.
The governor while addressing the media in Asaba, said that unless the law of life pension and entitlements for the ex-governors and deputies was reviewed, it will remain operational.
He maintained that the law which stipulates humongous life pension package, including; personal administrative officer, secretary, two armed security policemen, and one security officer from the Department of State Services (DSS), as well as provision of vehicles – replaceable after four years and drivers under the state’s overhead, remained sacrosanct.
The pension law also provides for fifteen days annual vacation, well-furnished office in any location of their choice in the state, a direct telephone line for the ex-governors and deputies and medical services in Nigeria and abroad for their immediate families – at the expense of the state government.
He stated: “We are not thinking in that direction, my counterpart in Lagos may have reasons why he wants the law repealed, but we in Delta don’t want to go into that. There is an existing law in Delta State on what should accrue to the governors and their deputies. That I don’t want to touch. Each state has the power to make a decision concerning its governance.”