Outgoing Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has called for an increase in the monthly retirement benefits of former presidents and vice presidents.
He made the call on Wednesday during his remarks at the
valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council at the State House, Abuja,
on Wednesday.
Osinbajo, who spoke last after ministers took two-minute
turns to talk, said to the President, “Your personal integrity is one that is
known all over Nigeria and indeed all over the world. And I do not think
anyone, including even your worst enemies, will not admit that you are an
incredibly honest person.
“Part of the problem with that is that sometimes, you and I
end up getting the very short end of the stick. If you look at the laws today,
our retirement benefits, yours (Buhari) will be N350,000 a month by law and
mine will be N250,000 per month. Those, of course, as you can imagine are very
tiny amounts of money.
“And I think that one of the things that we must do is to,
perhaps, see how we can amend that law so that I will not come to you in Daura
and ask for some of your bulls to sell in order to survive.”
Findings by Sunday PUNCH showed that severance packages for
the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo, state governors and other political appointees leaving office in 2023
might cost the country about N63.45bn.
As stipulated by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation
Commission, the President will get a severance pay of N10.54m, which is 300 per
cent of his annual basic salary, while Vice-President Osinbajo will receive
N9.09m.
The eight special advisers in the Presidency are expected to
get N5.83m each, totalling N46.64m.
Buhari’s cabinet consists of 44 ministers, 27 federal
ministers and 17 ministers of state.
While each minister is entitled to N6.08m, each minister of
state is entitled to N5.87m. In total, they would get N258.08m, with ministers
getting N164.16m and ministers of states receiving N93.92m.
In an earlier interview, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of
Pensioners, Ekiti State branch, Joel Akinola, said it was unfair for political
office holders to receive huge severance allowances when states failed to pay
pensions as and when due.
The NUP chairman argued that the beneficiaries enjoyed other
office perks.
Similarly, the first lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, also called for
increased benefits for ex-presidents and their deputies.
She added that former first ladies should also be
incorporated as beneficiaries of such benefits.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of a book, ‘The
Journey of a Military Wife’, authored by the wife of the Chief of Defence Staff
and President, Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association, Mrs Vickie
Irabor, the president’s wife stated, “The Federal Government should consider us
as people that need help not as magic makers.
And on the privileges given to the former presidents of
Nigeria, they should do more. It is still not enough considering what people go
through in that house (Presidential Villa). And at the same time, I want them
to incorporate women, the former first ladies, among the beneficiaries.”
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