Government can’t pay salaries of former presidents
• Shagari, Obasanjo, Jonathan, Babangida owed 10-month arrears
• SGF blames lack of funds
• How two ex-leaders raised their pay by 100%
Nigeria has not paid salaries and other allowances to four former ex-presidents due to lack of funds.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, who disclosed this to visiting members of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs in Abuja, said President Muhammadu Buhari could not approve payments for ex-presidents Shehu Shagari, Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan and Ibrahim Babangida in the last 10 months due to lack of funds.
The delay in paying ‘pension’ and other benefits to former presidents could deprive the incumbent of the much-needed support of his predecessors as economic downturn and government’s anti-corruption crusade impacts Nigeria’s political landscape.
Giving his own explanation of the development in a chat with the Senate committee led by Tijjani Kaura (APC, Zamfara North), the SGF attributed it to unavailability of funds in the service wide vote for salaries of ex-presidents. Payment schedules were said to have been sent to the President for approval to assess funds in the service wide vote, an emergency fund reserved for special purposes.
“There is a department responsible for payment of former president’ entitlements, Lawal said.
“At present, funds are not available in service wide votes to do that. We are aware there was a protest in Bayelsa State that the former president was not paid, but we’ve explained that he’s not the only one affected.
“Others affected are Inter-Religious Council, Traditional Rulers Council and so on. For some reason, we have been writing and writing, but there has been no response. And there is presently no money to pay them.”
The SGF continued: “The budget for this year’s democracy day was N33 million, and we had to do it on credit; we are yet to pay. There are lots of retreat, which ought to be organised but there’s no money to do any. The last time we got any release was in August.”
The senators were not swayed by the explanation. They insisted that joint efforts be made between the office of the SGF and the committee to find solution to the problem, which they described as “unfortunate.”
The lawmakers stressed the need to draw the attention of the budget office and ministry of finance to the development with a view to having it addressed immediately.
Vice Chairman of the committee, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, described the non-payment of former presidents as abnormal.
“What we have seen here is an abnormality. Before referring any matter to the National Assembly, it is a function of the executive to appropriate funds. Therefore, the SGF should understand that there is something wrong in this office that must be addressed.
“There is no way you can run the expenses of this office without cash backing. We definitely have to draw the attention of the budget office and ministry of finance to the problems,” Hunkuyi said.
The lawmaker also faulted the office of the SGF over the replication of 2016 budget details in its 2017 budget proposal.
Also condemning the development, former Governor of Sokoto State, and lawmaker representing Sokoto North in the National Assembly, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, said: “We can understand if former President Goodluck Jonathan has not been paid because he just left office. But for someone like Shagari, who lives from hand to mouth is something I can’t understand. This development is really unfortunate; it doesn’t indicate seriousness, and it doesn’t indicate fairness.”
But attempting to assuage the anger of the lawmakers, the SGF explained: “When I got into this office, there was a lot of money in this account, but there was no TSA (Treasury Single Account).
“Before the government left office, they jacked up salaries. We told former Presidents Jonathan and Obasanjo that they could not earn twice what the others were earning. So we told them we wanted to review it, and we did. So they now earn what the others earn as well.
“When I came into office, there was N1.5 billion in the account. We had payment of all liabilities, which came to N700 million. Then we wrote to the president to return what was left to the TSA. That was how we came back to a zero balance.
“It is painful to me because as a person I know all of them (ex-presidents) personally. Now, why have we not been able to get the money? We requested a budget of N700 million, but the president has his way of doing things.
“Look around, you’ll see government vehicles breaking down every now and then. Really, I know the challenges the budget office is facing, but the truth is the funds are not just there. In any government, there are certain agencies that must be served first before others. So we have agreed on that. However, we will lean harder on the finance ministry to see that the situation is turned around.
“As SGF I’m getting embarrassed and demeaned by chasing money. All MDAs come to me for things to be done, and it is not quite easy, but we try our best.
“Last year, these political appointees had nothing. As to assistance, we really need assistance to retain all that we have budgeted for,” he added.
Lawal also urged the National Assembly to approve funds proposed by his office in the 2017 budget to be submitted soon, saying: “We need your help to defend what is in our budget. This is part of the change agenda, so we must learn to sew our cloth according to the material.”
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16 Comments
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[The delay in paying ‘pension’ and other benefits to former presidents could deprive the incumbent of the much-needed support of his predecessors as economic downturn and government’s anti-corruption crusade impacts Nigeria’s political landscape.
Giving his own explanation of the development in a chat with the Senate committee led by Tijjani Kaura (APC, Zamfara North), the SGF attributed it to unavailability of funds in the service wide vote for salaries of ex-presidents. Payment schedules were said to have been sent to the President for approval to assess funds in the service wide vote, an emergency fund reserved for special purposes.]
And I said it’ll be better to revert to Parliamentary system so that you can have the advantages of ‘Shadow Cabinet’ for Nigeria for the kind of composite formation in the country – with Shadow Cabinet arrangement you’ll be able to know and track the funds you have rather than the ‘Winner-take-all’ arrangement where you cannot guesstimate the right funds in the Kitty always! Americans did not just jump into Presidential system, they started from Parliamentary and when the people and the politicians came of age in education and enlightenment they moved to Presidential still retained the guarded principles and the laws to help the operation of the system unlike what you have done or doing in Nigeria assuming that you’re educated and qualified to practice their kind of parliamentary system!
No money to pay the ex-Heads of State indeed; you might ask what happened to money being collected since the advent of clawing back the looted funds; nobody tells how much is collected! In many ways what you do in Nigeria does not conform to International standards like they do in the UK. by Mr. Lenin Henry (OBE) and other groups for example, as they raise the funds it is done publicly so that people will know the much raised and in more occasions than none it helps to persuade people to contribute more to the funds and so it grows daily – i. e. doing what is meant for the public publicly to reassure the people in their trust! I suggested if they can have the kind of process in the United Kingdom when you raise funds for the handicap persons. In all of the claims Nigerians are not told how much these Heads earn and whether is it pension or saliaries us the rught tern for the statement – in in Nigeria that Heads of State complete their tenure and you still pay them salaries – can the SGF tell us how much is involved in the outstanding – i. e. recurrents!
I suggest that you consider to revert to Parliamentary system for Nigeria so that you can deal with not only with the movement of your fund bit how to orga,mise your appointments to serve in the Federal service and diplomatic corps which was the aim of that Little to the left and a little to the right euphemism by Prof. H. Nwosu! You peple tend to have relegated the professors when in fact, he should be called or invited in specific areas of the problems afflicting the country particularly on political problems to tell you what needs to be done in Nigeria! Here is part of the ironies about Nigeria – those that brought about the problems on the country are still in close touch with the administrations and are revered and those who tried to help us in the past and had such commendable impacts on the system are left out – excluded from the happenings in the country as such you wallow in ignorance costing you grave fortune!
Incidentally what your topic for this morning in NTA’s Good Morning – ‘Women and politics!’, is featured in my new political leadership solution for Nigeria and like I said your problem is and continues to be about: Who do you tell and he/ she is willing to act. For American election it is understandable why Hillary did not win or declared the winner; first, about the winner-takes all system, which they are now craving to be reformed and 2nd, the supremacy theory which underpins the foundation of American politics and administration – is an academic discourse of course!
Sorry, for the benefit of your readers, why not somebody in the (SGF) tell you what I have in the solution I submitted to that office on 2nd February 2015 about women and proportional representation for Nigeria, and you’re just discussing it today – reason why I keep saying that my solutions precede the policy declarations in Nigeria!
No money but NNPC is generating money from crude oil sales and other government agencies paid into Federation account everyday so where is the money going?
STRAIGHT INTO THEIR POCKETS!!
THESE NOISE MAKING TREASURY LOOTERS AND THIEVES.
They should go and rest joor. They have stolen their salaries already.
UYO,ENUGU, PORTHARCOURT, ABUJA & LAGOS.
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Funny country. Having stolen us blind during their thieving and visionary-less rulership, they’re still collecting salaries. What an aberration. I feel like vomitting knowing the likes of IBB, Abacha family and Jonathan still collects salaries from Nigeria’s treasury. Please add old age allowance to their salaries. Na wao.
Are you saying OBJ, and the rest did not loot our treasury to stupor? I feel like vomiting
why should we be paying any of those coup makers and looters? Only Shagari deserves a salary, he was the only one we elected who is not known to have looted anything.
These are recession prone expenditures, would definitely be difficult for a nation to sustain this burden for a long time, the economy must break which eventually has happened. Nigeria should be relieve of the burden, cut down the salaries to a stipend for the sake of the masses. Imagine with all they have stolen, with all the properties they have amassed, Nigeria must still pay them. Too bad
……We requested a budget of N700 million, but the president has his way of doing things!
It is worrying the way we do things atimes in Nigeria. Nigeria does not owe the following persons any form of Pension payment – General Ibrahim Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and General Yakubu Gowon. Any pension they are entitled to should and ought to be the RESPONSIBILITY OF MINISTRY OF DEFENCE. Their occupation of the Position of Head of State was a result of MILITARY POSTING from the ARMY – the Armed Forces choose them by IMPLICATION. They pension therefore, is LIMITED to the rules of the Armed Forces with regards to pensions.
Notice that I have not included Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Why? Mr Obasanjo came from MILITARY RETIREMENT to be President by CONSTITUTIONAL MEANS. Chief Ernest Shonekan was appointed to job and you cannot deny him the entitlement.
Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Goodluck Jonathan are entitled to their pension as of RIGHT.
Any previous payments of Pension by the FERDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA to the following persons – General Ibrahim Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and General Yakubu Gowon are possibly mistakes and an illegality.
These serious issues have implications for our tomorrow.
THE EX- PRESIDENTS DO NOT NEED SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES.
INSTEAD OF GIVING SALARIES AND PENSIONS TO THESE EX-LOOTER HEADS OF STATE, THEY SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR THEIR FINANCIAL CRIMES TO NIGERIA DURING THEIR TERMS OF OFFICE.
THESE LOOTERS DO NOT NEED PENSIONS AND ALLOWANCES, THEY HAVE ALREADY LOOTED NIGERIA ENOUGH. THE PENSIONS AND ALLOWANCES ARE JUST THEIR POCKET MONEY FROM UNCLE SAM.
The fact that we are reminded that they even pay them salaries is a sad day.
They have more than enough already! Let’s put the money to better use.
This is too bad. What do you want GEJ to do? You seized the gift dame patience “saved” in her account and now you have refused to pay her husband. GEJ should mobilise the ex-presidents to sue the govt so that either they are paid or the dame’s money is released so that she could at least put food on the table.
We will review and take appropriate action.