From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna
Sequel to the rumors going round in some quarters over the payment of pension to former governors and their deputies as well as former speakers and their deputies across the country, the Niger State government has come out categorically that it doesn’t pay pension to its former governors.
The state government rather informed that it pays what it called severance allowance to the departing political heads in the state.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Director General of Niger State Pension Board, Alhaji Ahmed Tinau Mohammed who disclosed that the beneficiaries of severance allowance are political heads at state and local government level, noted that former governor and their deputies, local government chairmen and their vice and state legislators and counselors were included.
According to him, “The severance allowance is not a recurring perpetual payouts but a onetime payment authorized under extant state law
“This payment (severance allowance) are supported by an extant law known as a law to provide special grants/severance allowances to all political office holders in the state including governors and their deputies; 2013”
The statement said the clarification had become necessary following the inclusion of Niger state in the list of states owing ex-governors pension
Tinau further stated “to the best of my knowledge that there is no state law, past of present that awards a regular pension to be pay to former Niger state governors as pension
“The gospel truth is that the state does not pay a dime to our former governors as pension” the statement said.
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