KWARA STATE ASSEMBLY IS FIRST TO STOP EX-GOVERNORS FROM TREASURY LOOTING!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 7. NO 238. 4th March, 2018.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

KWARA STATE ASSEMBLY IS FIRST TO STOP EX-GOVERNORS FROM TREASURY LOOTING!

According to extant appropriation laws in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the emoluments of all civil servants including political appointees, are determined and legislated by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), and is sacrosanct accordingly!

But former State Governors and their deputies, through the succinct support of their legislators enjoy illicit pensions/gratuities that are unknown to the Constitution while the National Assembly (NASS), principal officers with the connivance of their Civil Service Staff, have circumvented all known financial principles to appropriate unto themselves incredible salaries, all manner of spurious allowances, including illegal CONSTITUENCY ALLOCATIONS in billions of naira, since 1999, when  "politicians" took over governance from the Military!

RMAFC, is guided to provide 300% SEVERANCE for the governors as stated in the provisions under "Certain Political Office Holders and Judicial Officers Remuneration Act." Within the confines of that Act, ex-governors and legislators are entitled to 300% of their basic salary of N2,223,705; totalling N6,671,115, as a once-and-for-all-severance pay!
A former Chairman of the RMAFC has said that if the Pension Laws enacted by the States contravened or was inconsistent with the Federal law as prescribed for the Commission, they would be deemed ILLEGAL whereas some State Legislatures have even granted ex-governors PENSION EMOLUMENTS FOR LIFE!

According to undisputed statistics collated by the Vanguard, TWENTY-ONE STATES, as at the year 2017, spent a whooping sum of N37.4 billion for 47 ex-Governors on illegal monetized pension emoluments that are not recognized by the Nigerian Constitution! These expenditures have exerted much pressure on the coffers of such States which failed to fulfil regular contractual salary payment obligations to workers but instead, diverted such funds to pay their ex-Governors and their deputies!

So, where did all other illegal provisions for outlandish cash benefits, running into billions, vehicles (renewable every three to four years), accommodations in their State capitals and Federal Capital, Abuja; overseas holiday/free medics for them and family etc, being collected by ex Governors of BAUCHI, RIVERS, AKWA IBOM, LAGOS, YOBE, GOMBE, KANO, KWARA,, SOKOTO, BAYELSA, DELTA, EBONYI, ZAMFARA and others, emanate from?
Bauchi, according to the revelation, topped pension payouts to ex-governors. Payment of pension to former governors over a four-year circle are highest in Bauchi, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Lagos States with former governors drawing N23.18billion, N2.795 billion, N2.043 billion and N1.606 billion respectively while Gombe was reported to be the FIRST to pay out an humongous benefit of N900 million to two ex-governors whom the State Pension Law provided a sum of N300 million, per term of four years! The Sokoto State Pension Law provides for N200 million every four years for former governors, and with three former governors it’s stable, "the State has to cough out N600 billion every four years for these governors"! Another tranche of N180 million each is respectively set aside for their deputies within the same period of time.

IT IS HOWEVER GRATIFYING TO KNOW THAT EX- GOVERNORS RAJI FASOLA AND KAYODE FAYEMI OF LAGOS AND EKITI STATES RESPECTIVELY DECLINED AND REFUSED TO COLLECT ANY SEVERANCE PACKAGE ON THEIR DISENGAGEMENT FROM GUBERNATORIALOFFICES!
The offending States believe they could cover their tracks under the "State Pension Law", which is inferior, contrary and null and void according to the 1999 Constitution, which expressly and unequivocally states in Part II, Powers of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria, Section 4 (5), which states as follows: "If any Law enacted by the House of Assembly of a State is inconsistent with any law validly made by the National Assembly, the law made by the National Assembly shall prevail and that other Law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void."

HAVE THESE EX-GOVERNORS RETIRED INTO PRIVATE LIFE?
NO! They are still the same greedy politicians who retired as governors and are enjoying pension benefits but now freshly voted as politician and still paid by the same Federal Government as Senators or as Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and COLLECTING DOUBLE SALARIES, ALLOWANCIES, PENSIONS, GRATUITIES ETC, FOR EVERY FOUR-YEAR TERM IN POLITICAL OFFICE!
IS IT NOT VERY GLARING THAT THESE "NAIRA SUCKERS" AMONG WHOM ARE 21 EX-GOVERNORS SERVING AS SENATORS OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ARE THE REAL ENEMIES OF THE TALAKAWAS? WOULD THE ELECTORATE JUST MOPE SHEEPISHLY WHILE THESE INSENSITIVE FELLOW NIGERIANS BLED THE ECONOMY TO DEATH IN A COUNTRY WHERE SOCIAL JUSTICE SYSTEM THRIVES?

KWARA STATE LEGISLATORS ABBROGATE GOVERNORS PENSION LAW!
Kwara State's version of State Pension Law which came into effect in 2010 states that an ex-governor would be entitled TWO LUXURY CARS PLUS ONE ARMOURED OR SECURITY CAR - replaceable every three years, A WELL-FURNISHED 5-BED-ROOM DUPLEX, FURNITURE ALLOWANCE OF 300% OF HIS SALARY; FIVE PERSONAL STAFF, THREE DSS OPERATIVES, FREE MEDICAL CARE FOR THE GOVERNOR AND THE DEPUTY, 30% OF SALARY FOR VEHICLE MAINTEMANCE, 20% FOR UTILITY, 10% FOR ENTERTAINMENT, 10% FOR HOUSE MAINTENANCE!

Controversial Senate President 'Bukola Saraki, is one of these ex-governors who collected double salaries, allowances, pensions and all manner of spurious emoluments from the Nigerian treasury! He was two-term Governor of Kwara State, (2003-2011), one-time Senator representing  Kwara Central District (2011-2015), of Kwara State, and presently "Senate President" (2015-date), in spite of the impoverished economic situation of his state!
But now, that the legislators have become wiser and have turned the table against him and his ilk, he is now advocating that other States should follow KWARA EXAMPLE! That is not enough! SARAKI SHOULD VOLUNTARILY REFUND ALL ILLEGAL EMOLUMENTS HE HAD COLLECTED FROM 2011 TO DATE OR BE FORCED TO DO SO!

SERAP'S LEGAL CONFRONTATION AGAINST ILLICITLY RICH EX-GOVERNORS!
We have on record that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), in December 2017 filed a suit challenging the legality of 21 former state governors and their deputies now serving as Senators and Ministers, and drawing two salaries/emoluments from former and present employers at a Federal High Court and got a favourable judgment in January 2018. The court ruled that SERAP has "sufficient interest to bring its suit to stop former governors and now serving senator and ministers from receiving double pay and life pensions and to seek recovery of over N40billion of public funds unduly received by these public officers." The Judge granted leave in the suit by SERAP to compel the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice "to challenge the legality of the State Laws that allow those former politicians to draw double payments, identify those involved and seek full recovery of the funds involved."

HEARTLESS EX-GOVERNORS MUST PAY BACK ALL ILLEGAL EMOLUMENTS!
In 2016, a young street boy's angry vituperation that all Nigerian politicians should be BURIED ALIVE was nationally condemned - we still condemn jungle justice BUT these set of politically armed robbers - governors, legislators et all,  MUST be made to face the law quickly and sent to jail where they belong! And they MUST PAY BACK ALL MONIES AND RETURN ALL PROPERTIES THEY HAVE ILLEGALLY ACQUIRED THROUGH THEIR DUBIOUS AND CRIMINALLY-DOGGED LIFE STYLE! Is it not an irony of fate that these leaders who possess no iota of moral discipline when it comes to acquisition of illicit wealth legislate at all levels of government over the academia, professional, technocrats able-bodied unemployed youths and adults and craft and oversight budgets which determine the economic lives of the poor citizens whom they have drained and left high and dry without A KOBO to their names?

Civil servant Workers (serving and retired), in about 35 out of 36 States of the Federation, according to the Trade Union Congress (TUC), President, Mr. Bobboi Kaigama, are owed salaries, allowances, gratuities/pensions up to 19 months in some cases; despite billions of PARIS CLUB REFUNDS, while these heartless set of opportunists smile to the banks with billions of the naira made through the blood and sweat of the very unfortunate workers!
Outside of the REFUNDS, two initial FG financial bail-outs were loaned to salary payment defaulting STATES, and were expected to take care of all outstanding workers emoluments, had taken wings to satisfy the pecuniary lust of most of the governors and the helpless workers are still languishing in abject poverty!

All Nigerians MUST UNITE to bring these set of thieving "representatives" to quick justice through collective legal actions and through the BALLOT BOXES as the nation goes to the polls within 12 calendar months from now! THEY MUST ALL BE VOTED OUT IN 2019, STRIPPED OF ALL STOLEN MONIES FROM THE TREASURY, PROSECUTED IN THE LAW COURTS AND SENT TO PRISON IF CULPABLE!
It is the only way to stop all category of persons who believe that Nigerian Political Landscape is a GOLDMINE for small minds which believe only in the ephemeral things of life as money!

21 EX-GOVERNORS ARE BLEEDING NIGERIA TO DEATH!
Kwara State has taken the lead; what are the other 20 States waiting for in view of the recent court judgement mentioned earlier? Citizens who are in bondage under these heartless ex-governors MUST SPEAK OUT IN UNISON NOW TO TOTALY CONDEMN THE WICKED ACT AND PURSUE THE MATTER IN THE COURTS OF LAW IF THEY REFUSE TO FOLLOW KWARA LEAD!
Those States that indulged in the squandermania of public funds did so for their own gains BUT AT THE UNFORTUNATE EXPENSE OF THE TALAKAWAS WHOSE MONIES ARE MERCILESSLY AND WICKEDLY FRITTERED AWAY THROUGH THIS CRIMINAL ACT OF CONNIVANCE!
We have always been in the vanguard of advocacy for ONE NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE HOUSE TO BE RUN ON PART TIME BASIS AS PRACTICED IN OTHER CLIMES AND THE TOTAL DEREGULATION OF MONETARY INCENTIVE IN THAT SECTOR OF THE COLLECTIVE LEGISLATION OVER THE GIAGANTIC ECONOMY OF NIGERIA!
"Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34).

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066. g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.