One hundred and eight former state governors are currently living off their states through pensions and other entitlements they provided for themselves while in office.
The figure will rise to 121 as from the next general election in 2019 when 13 governors will end their second term.
Some governors began the practice in 2007 when they were rounding off their second term and the trend has been adopted by every outgoing governor since then.
Even those who served as acting governors because of certain circumstances are said to have benefited. There are 11 of such persons.
Under the RMAFC law, former governors are entitled to 300% of their basic salary of N2, 223,705 amounting to N6, 671,115 as severance pay.
The monetary pension for each ex-governor ranges between N200 million toN500 million severance pay.
The state assemblies also passed laws that allowed luxuries that include 100% current pay for life, one or two mansions built and furnished by the state, free medical service, fully paid annual vacation, cars and numerous aides.
Outgoing governors usually pay themselves hundreds of millions of naira weeks before vacating office.
There are currently 21 former governors and deputies serving in the Senate and cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The 19 northern states have a total of 56 governors, while the 17 southern states had only 52, during the 16-year period under review. Eight of the former governors are late.
Army of ex-chief executives
On geopolitical basis, the southwest zone has 20 former governors, between 1999 and 2015. They are followed by northcentral and northwest (19) each; northeast and south-south (18) each; and the least being southeast, 14.
States with the highest turnover of governors for the period under review are Ekiti (7) Anambra, Bayelsa, Plateau and Adamawa (6) each; Kogi and Oyo (5) each.
Those with the least turnover of the chief executives are Jigawa, Kebbi, Katsina, Niger, Benue, Bauchi, Lagos, Cross River, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Bayelsa, Imo, Ogun, and Abia. Each of these states had two governors for the 16-year period.
States with less than five governors are Sokoto, Kaduna, Taraba (4) each; while Kano, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Osun, Ondo, Edo, and Rivers had (3) each.
State-by-state
The seven chief executives in Ekiti state from 1999 to 2015 are: Niyi Adebayo; Ayo Fayose; Friday Aderemi (acting after Fayose’s removal); Tunji Olurin (administrator after emergency rule was declared); Tope Ademiluyi (acting); Segun Oni (sacked by court of appeal); and Kayode Fayemi.
Those in Anambra are Chinwoke Mbadinuju; Chris Ngige; Peter Obi; Virginia Etiaba (acting after Obi’s impeachment); Peter Obi (returned after appeal court nullified his impeachment); Andy Uba (elected and served for 14 days before Supreme Court sacked him).
Bayelsa’s governors are: Late Diepreiye Alamieyeseigha; Goodluck Jonathan; Timipre Sylva; Werimpre Seibarugo (acting after Sylva’s election was nullified); Timpre Sylva (re-elected); Nesto Binabo (acting after Supreme Court sack Sylva).
In Adamawa, there were Boni Haruna; Murtala Nyako; James Barka (acting after Nyako’s sack by court); Murtala Nyako; Ahmadu Fintirin (acting after Nyako’s impeachment); and Bala James Ngilari.
Those of Plateau are Joshua Dariye; Chris Ali (administrator after emergency rule was declared); Dariye; late Michael Botmang (after Dariye’s impeachment); Dariye (returned by court); and Jonah Jang.
Oyo’s ex-governors are late Lam Adesina; Rashid Ladoja; Chris Alao- Akala (after Ladoja’s impeachment); and Alao-Akala.
There was late Abubakar Audu in Kogi; followed by Ibrahim Idris; Clarence Olafemi (acting after court nullified Ibrahim Idris’s election); Ibrahim Idris (returned after polls); and Idris Wada.
In Sokoto there was Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa; Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko; Abdullahi Balarabe Salame (acting after nullification of Wamakko’s election); and Wamakko (return after fresh election).
For Kaduna state, there was Ahmed Makarfi; Namadi Sambo; Ibrahim Yakowa (after Sambo’s appointment as vice president by President Goodluck Jonathan); and Ramalan Yero (after Yakowa’s death in plane crash in Bayelsa).
There was Jolly Nyame; Danbaba Suntai; Garba Umar (acting after Suntai’s plane crash in Yola) and Sani Danladi (acting after Supreme Court sack Umar as deputy governor).
In Kano, first there was Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; followed by Ibrahim Shekarau and Kwankwaso again.
Ahmad Sani Yerima led the pack in Zamfara; he was followed by his former deputy Mahmuda Shinkafi.
Abdullahi Adamu was the first in Nasarawa state; then Aliyu Akwe Doma.
In Kwara, there was late Muhammed Lawal; followed by Bukola Saraki.
Borno state first had late Mala Kachallah; followed by Ali Modu Sheriff.
Bukar Abba Ibrahim was the first in Yobe. He was succeeded by late Mamman Ali.
There was Abubakar Hashidu in Gombe; followed by Danjuma Goje.
In Osun, there were Bisi Akande and Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
Olusegun Osoba was the first in Ogun, then Gbenga Daniel.
For Ondo, there are late Adebayo Adefarati; Olusegun Agagu; and Olusegun Mimiko (after court sack Agagu).
The three former governors in Edo are: Lucky Igbinedion; Oserheimen Osunbor; and Adams Oshiomhole (after Osunbor was removed by court).
In Rivers, there was Peter Odili; Celestine Omeiha; and Rotimi Amaechi (after Supreme Court sacked Omeiha).
In Imo, it was Achike Udenwa; and Ikedi Ohakim.
Others are Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Orji (Abia); Sam Egwu and Martins Elechi (Ebonyi); Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime (Enugu); Victor Attah and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduagan (Delta); Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke (Cross River).
It was Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Tunde Fashola (Lagos); Adamu Mu’azu and Isa Yuguda (Bauchi); George Akume and Gabriel Suswam (Benue).
There was also the late Abdulkadir Kure and Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger); late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Adamu Aliero and Usman Dakingari (Kebbi); Saminu Turaki and Sule Lamido (Jigawa).
Retirement luxuries
In the Lagos Pension Law approved by former Governor Tinubu in 2007, a former governor will enjoy the following benefits for life: Two houses, one in Lagos and another in Abuja. (Property experts estimate such a house in Lagos to cost N500m and Abuja N700m.)
Others are six brand new cars replaceable every three years; furniture allowance of 300 percent of annual salary to be paid every two years, and a close to N2.5m as pension (about N30m pension annually).
He will also enjoy security detail, free medicals including for his immediate families.
Other benefits are 10 percent house maintenance, 30 percent car maintenance, 10 percent entertainment, 20 percent utility, and several domestic staff.
In Rivers, the law provides 100 percent of annual basic salaries for ex-governor and deputy, one residential house for former governor “anywhere of his choice in Nigeria”; one residential house anywhere in Rivers for the deputy, three cars for the ex-governor every four years; two cars for the deputy every four years.
His furniture is 300 percent of annual basic salary every four years en bloc. House maintenance is 10 percent of annual basic salary.
In Akwa Ibom, the law provides for N200m annual pay to ex governors, deputies. He enjoys a pension for life at a rate equivalent to the salary of the incumbent governor/deputy governor respectively.
A new official car and a utility vehicle every four years; one personal aide and provision of adequate security; a cook, chauffeurs and security guards for the governor at a sum not exceeding N5m per month and N2.5m for the deputy governor.
There is also a free medical service for governor and spouse at an amount not exceeding N100m for the governor per annum and N50m for the deputy governor.
Also, there is a five-bedroom mansion in Abuja and Akwa Ibom and allowance of 300 percent of annual basic salary for the deputy governor.
He takes a furniture allowance of 300 percent of annual basic salary every four years in addition to severance gratuity.
The Kano State Pension Rights of Governor and Deputy Governor Law 2007 provides for 100 percent of annual basic salaries for former governor and deputy.
Furnished and equipped office, a 6-bedroom house; “well-furnished” 4-bedroom for deputy, plus an office.
The former governor is also entitled to free medical treatment along with his immediate families within and outside Nigeria. It is same for deputy.
Two drivers are also for former governor and a driver for his deputy; and personal staff below the rank of a Principal Administrative Officer and a PA not below grade level 10. There is a provision for a 30- day vacation within and outside Nigeria.
In Gombe, there is N300 million executive pension benefits for the ex-governor.
In Kwara, the 2010 law gives a former governor two cars and a security car, replaceable every three years, a “well-furnished 5-bedroom duplex,” furniture allowance of 300 per cent of his salary; five personal staff, three SSS, free medical care for the governor and the deputy, 30 percent of salary for car maintenance, 20 per cent for utility, 10 percent for entertainment, 10 per cent for house maintenance.
The Zamfara version of the law, signed in 2006, gives former governors pension for life, two personal staff, two vehicles replaceable every four years, two drivers, free medical for the former governors and deputies and their immediate families in Nigeria or abroad.
The law also gives the former governors a 4-bedroom house in Zamfara and an office, free telephone and 30 days paid vacation outside Nigeria.
In Sokoto, former governors and deputy governors are to receive N200m and N180m respectively being monetization for other entitlements which include domestic aides, residence and vehicles that could be renewed after every four years.
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