SERAP To Ganduje : Reject Lawmakers Bill For Life Pensions,Vehicles

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to reject a bill for life pensions and brand-new vehicles recently passed by lawmakers of the State House of Assembly.

SERAP said it would take legal action nationally and internationally against the state government should the governor assent to the bill already passed by the law makers and in order to hold his government to account and ensure that you uphold the solemn trust committed to you by the people of Kano.

The request was contained in an open letter sent to the governor dated May 10, 2019 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare.

The organization urged the governor to prevail on the members of the House to immediately drop the bill, and to honour their fiduciary duties imposed by the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Nigeria’s international anti-corruption obligations.

SERAP appealed to the Governor Ganduje to prevail on the lawmakers to subordinate their own interests to the public good, live on fair and equal terms with their fellow-citizens, and not to use their legislative powers to convert public resources to their own benefit.

“This bill represents law-making in the interest and personal satisfaction of the lawmakers, which flagrantly offends the principles of legal justice and the rule of law.

“The lawmakers ought to subordinate their own interests to the welfare of the people of Kano.

“By passing the life pensions and medical trips abroad bill, the lawmakers have invariably ‘bought at their own sales’, and violated their sacred trust.”

The organization lamented the  desire by the lawmakers of the Kano State House of Assembly to pass a bill to award to themselves life pensions, foreign medical trips and brand-new vehicles every four years is oppressive, and violates the obligation of impartiality to the people of Kano they are elected to serve and the ideals of fiduciary government.

It said the bill, proposed by Baffa Baba Dangundi, is a textbook case of diversion of public resources to private purposes.