The Zamfara state House of Assembly on Tuesday outrightly repealed the law that allows jumbo payment of pension and other allowances to former governors, their deputies, Speakers and their deputies in the state.
The abolishment of the law came barely 48 hours after a letter written by a former governor, Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, to Zamfara State Government demanding for the payment of his upkeep allowances running into millions of Naira leaked into the public. The letter generated heated debates within and outside the state.
According to the letter, the monthly upkeep allowances for an ex-governor in the state is N10million and backed by law which was amended and assented to on the 23rd of March, 2019.
Presenting the bill before the House, the House leader, Hon. Faruk Musa Dosara (PDP Maradun 1) urged his collogues to as a matter of urgency consider the abolishment of the law which provides the jumbo pay for the former political leaders of the state at the detriment of the retired civil servants who have not been paid their entitlements over the years.
According to Hon Dosara, these category of past leaders are collecting over N700 million annually which he said the present state economy could not accommodate.
Seconding the motion, Hon. Tukur Jekada Birnin Tudu (PDP, Bakura), said the abolishment of the law was highly necessary as it is detrimental to the socio-economic well being of the citizens of the state.
After serious deliberations and contributions by the house members, the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Nasiru Mu’azu Magarya, ordered the Clerk of the House to give the bill first and second reading.
The bill which was later sent to the house committee which met during the plenary, went for a third reading as the House passed the bill into law and sent it to the governor for his assent.
With this development, according to the spokesperson of the state assembly, Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, all past political leaders in Zamfara state would no longer enjoy the jumbo allowances unless those prescribed by the National Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
Earlier in today’s sitting, the Speaker sworn-in the new Clerk to the House, Alhaji Shehu Saidu. He officially assumed duty immediately.
