NAUSEATING SEVERANCE PACKAGES FOR PUBLIC OFFICERS

The recent decision by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to dole out about N3.27 billion in the name of severance packages for outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, former Ministers, outgoing members of the National Assembly and Presidential Aides is most callous and disheartening. They are all to receive 300 per cent of their annual basic pay for life. President Jonathan’s package will rise from N3,514,705 million to N10,544,115 million. Sambo’s bonanza will be up from N3,031,572.50 to N9,094,717.50. Each of the 76 senators that will not be returning will be entitled to N6,079,200 million while their counterparts in the House of Representatives will smile home with N1,727,134.875 million. Each of the senior ministers will receive N6,079,200 million while their junior counterparts who double as Ministers of State will be thanking their stars with N5,872,740 million. The 133 Presidential aides will be richer by N5,828,625 million.

This is highly condemnable in view of the dwindling revenue occasioned by the slump of crude oil price in the international market and the low demand for the nation’s petroleum products by former customers such as the United States. At a time when states like Osun and Benue owe civil servants salary arrears of up to five months and above, this is most callous. Which elected public office holder in Nigeria relies on his or her salary? The salary is not the motivation for joining politics or lobbying ceaselessly for political appointments. The security vote which the president and vice-president enjoy runs into hundreds of millions of naira or more annually. They also have the power to award multi-billion naira contracts and engage in deals that will permanently keep their generations unborn in the billion dollar club. The same rings true for the ministers and presidential aides. They sit on top of goldmines in the form of contracts and other juicy perks of office and really have no need for the pittance called salaries. The revelation by Jonathan that about two trillion naira was sunk into the last elections is a pointer to the largesse that these privileged officials sit over. Why then punish the nation with the needless rip off in guise of severance pay? The Nigerian Labour Congress is currently pushing for a N90,000 a month minimum wage which hardly qualifies for a living wage in view of the hydra-headed monster of inflation ravaging the country. But that will even be a pipe dream as the N18,000 monthly starvation wage which is the minimum is not even being paid in many states as they claim they are too broke to do so.

Former heads of state both civilian and military including coup plotters are already entitled to N23 million every month. It is a well-known fact that many of these ‘elder statesmen’ made billions of dollars overnight while at the helm of affairs. Yet their avarice won’t let them turn down what their morbid minds would term as money for the boys.

This severance package trend had its roots in the current democracy from some governors in some states. Three states stand out – Akwaibom, Lagos and Rivers as they have the biggest packages for the former chief executives of these states.

Akwaibom state first passed a law in 1999 which provides for medical treatment for former governors, their spouses, deputy governors and their spouses. The ex-governor could spend as much as N500 million a year on medical expenses. With an amendment, it was scaled down to N100 million while the deputy got N30 million. The widows or widowers got N12 million a year while it was N6 million for the deputy. They were entitled to 100% of their annual basic pay, one house not below a 5-bedroom maisonette in either Abuja or Akwaibom, one car and one utility car every four years, 500% of their annual basic pay as furniture allowance every four years, N5 million annually for domestic staff for the governor and N2.5 million for the deputy. Lagos – ‘The Centre of Excellence’ gives six brand new cars to its former governors every three years, a house in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory under the Governors and Deputy Governors Pension Law of 2007. They are also entitled to a house in Lagos and Abuja. The governor, deputy, their spouses and children are entitled to free medical treatment which is not capped. Their domestic staff – cooks, stewards and gardeners are pensionable. They have furniture allowance which is equivalent to 300% of their annual basic pay payable to them every two years. The former governor gets two security service operatives, eight policemen while the deputy gets one security operative and two policemen for life.

Rivers state passed their pension law in 2012. The ex-governor gets three new cars every four years, one house anywhere in the country, free medical treatment without a cap. The deputy is entitled to a house anywhere in the state. They are both entitled to 300% of their annual basic salary in the name of house maintenance allowance. Tony Ademiluyi, Lagos