Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday 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 on Monday read for a second time a bill that seeks to repeal the law.
The new bill which was debated on the floor of the House at a sitting presided over by the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, 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 lawmakers argued that it would not be too good to repeal the law in its entirety as there were some important sections and stipulations that should be considered.
Speaking concerning the bill, Oluyinka Ogundimu (Agege 2), explained that the bill is to ensure the stoppage of pensions to governors and deputies when they leave office adding that this decision was in consideration of the country’s current economic challenges.
Ogundimu argued that the governors and their deputies and other such political office holders should be made to enjoy some benefits no matter how little.
He also argued that the bill should be amended in such a way that it would not throw former political officers to security challenges since if the original law is repealed, it would mean withdrawing all security agents and domestic staff earlier attached to them.
In his remarks, Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2), said the objective of the bill as raised by the executive is to ensure that the state begins to look inward in relation to the cost of governance.
He added that by virtue of his position as chairman of the committee on economic planning and budget, he has had the opportunity to check the finances of the state and would say Lagos is not very rich, but only has people who effectively manage its resources.
