Assembly Moves To Cut Bogus Maintenance Benefits For Ex-Govs

A bill proposing amendments to the law governing the maintenance of former governors and their deputies in Benue State has successfully passed its second reading at the state’s House of Assembly.

Our correspondent reports that the immediate past assembly under former Governor Samuel Ortom had enacted the law, making bogus provisions as retirement benefits for former governors’ and their deputies.

The House presided over by Deputy Speaker, Lami Danladi, debated on the matter.

During the debate, Samuel Agada, representing Ogbadibo State Constituency, led discussions on the bill.

Agada emphasised that the bill sought to amend the “Maintenance of Former Elected Governors of Benue State and Their Deputies Law, 2023,” which was hastily passed without a public hearing.

He expressed concerns over the ‘extravagant’ benefits provided by the existing law to former governors and deputies, contrasting this with the financial challenges faced by retirees who served the state for 35 years without receiving their pensions and gratuities due to supposed fund shortages.

Agada argued that the law’s provisions were out of touch with Benue State’s current economic realities and were counterproductive.

Deputy Speaker Danladi instructed the Clerk, Bernard Nule, to read the bill for the second time and referred it to the House Standing Committee on Appointments, Public Services, and Pension Matters for further review.