Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have opposed the total scrapping of the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007), which ensures payment of pensions and other benefits to former Governors Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode and their deputies.
The Lagos State House of Assembly read the bill that seeks to repeal the law for a second time on Monday, and was debated on the floor of the House at a sitting presided over by the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.
The new Bill is titled ‘A bill for a law to repeal the law to provide for the payment of pensions and other fringe benefits to public office holders in Lagos State and for other connected matters’.
The state lawmakers argued that repealing the law in its entirety is not a welcome idea as there were some important sections and stipulations that should be considered.
Speaking, Oluyinka Ogundimu (Agege 2), explained that the bill is to ensure the cancelation of pensions to governors and deputies when they leave office. He added that this decision was in consideration of the country’s current economic challenges.
Ogundimu also argued that the governors and their deputies and other such political office holders should, however, be made to enjoy some benefits no matter how little.
Another lawmaker, Rotimi Abiru (Shomolu 2), said he supports an amendment to the law instead of repeal.
He said, “For a person who has served as chief executive of a state, I do not think it is nice denying them of their benefits.
“I can appreciate that some of them move to other appointments. For these people, there can be a caveat. But for those who serve in that capacity and do not have any other thing to do after office, it may not be something elaborate, but something may be coming to them periodically.”
While rounding off the debate, the Speaker of the House, Obasa, observed the questions and suggestions raised by the lawmakers.
He supported the arguments of those seeking to repeal the law, saying cancelling pension payment completely would expose former governors and deputies to security challenges.