No pension for governors, confab proposes

National Conference delegates on Wednesday adopted a recommendation that there should be no payment of pension, life insurance and severance package for legislators, governors and their deputies.

The issue of pensions for former governors and their deputies has been engaging public attention lately following reports on the amendment of Akwa Ibom Governors and Deputy Governors Pensions Law which pegged medical treatment at N100 million per year for an ex-governor and N30 million for the deputy.

TheCable is currently running a special report on the pensions of former governors and their deputies, starting with three states: Akwa Ibom, Lagos and Rivers.

The confab recommendation is expected to garner public support, although it may not be popular with politicians.

The conference also agreed that  national and state legislators should function on part-time basis and their allowances comparable with what obtained in the public service, they agreed.

The conference adopted the recommendations which were contained in the report of its public service committee in Abuja.

It, however, rejected the recommendation for the retirement age of civil servants to be increased from 60 to 65 years or from 35 to 40 years of service.

The conference unanimously agreed that “any civil servant involved in the execution of contract for pecuniary and personal benefits should be dismissed from service”.

It adopted recommendation that there should be training before promotion from levels 12 to 17 as well as no transfer from outside into the directorate level.

The delegates adopted creation of separate Foreign Service for staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs different from that of the civil service.

The appointment into the Office of Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the states should be made from among serving permanent secretaries, they further agreed.

They adopted recommendation to grant extra allowance equivalent to grade level 06 to people living with disabilities to enable them employ aides.

To safeguard the minority interest in the states, the conference adopted a constitutional provision for the creation of state character commissions.

NAN reports that other recommendations from the report on the committee on Public Service are expected to be adopted at plenary on Thursday.