Former Ogun State governor, Chief
Olusegun Osoba, says he is not one of many former governors who enjoy huge
pension packages.
Osoba, a chieftain of All
Progressives Congress (APC), in a chat with journalists in Lagos, said his
monthly package “is consistent with the rules and regulations of the Revenue
Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).”
Osoba said he never received
outrageous pension packages from the Government of Ogun State since he left
office almost 15 years ago.
According to him, “the only thing
I collect from Ogun State since I left office is N676,000 monthly.”
Osoba recalled that during the
administration of Gbenga Daniel, he was not paid his entitlement until some top
traditional rulers and other prominent people in the state intervened before he
started receiving some of his entitlements.
He said the N676,000 pension
“does not even cover the cost of fuelling my car in a month. The tax that I pay
to Ogun State yearly is in millions when you look at the balance sheet. I am
putting more into the coffer of Ogun State than what I am taking from the
state.
“I will only speak for myself. I
cannot comment on others unless I have facts and figures indicating what they
are collecting with what they are collecting in their various appointive or elective
offices now.
“If I am holding any appointive
office, I will rather collect all my entitlements because the N676,000 I am
collecting from Ogun State cannot sustain me.”
Osoba added that the RMAFC made
provisions for changing cars of former governors and their deputies every three
years
“If the issue of car is covered
under the law, it is their right and entitlement. Let us be honest with
ourselves, in the 1999 Constitution, former presidents and governors are not by
law allowed to hold any office with any multinational company or
conglomerates,” he said.
Osoba, therefore, noted that he
was not against the regular change of vehicles for ex-governors, explaining
that lives of former governors “are endangered because we must have stepped on
a lot of toes with the decisions that we took when we were in office.”
Osoba condemned ostentatious
living, saying the government “can change a car as recommended by the RMAFC,
but not a fleet of cars. That is too much. Changing a car once in a while is
not too much, though I have never benefited from this provision.”
He disclosed that the only time
the Government of Ogun State changed his car was when he turned 70, almost nine
years ago, noting that the state government “has not given me that privilege
since the last 15 years.
“I do not mind because the way
any governor lays his bed today is the way he will sleep on it tomorrow. If
they leave office and ask for what they do not give to me, I will raise the
alarm and fault them.
“Like my medical treatment. I
know how much I have spent, but nobody asked me. A lot of prominent Nigerians
have asked me to demand it. But I refused to make such demand. I do not want
anything scandalous.
“For example, I had major health
challenges last year, which led to my travelling to the United Kingdom for
medical treatment. Between May and December, I was in and out of different
hospitals.
“But I am happy that I had
successful surgeries. I do not use recommended glasses anymore, which has been
part of me for over 70 years. I paid £20,000 deposit in one of the hospitals
and by January 1 this year, I paid the £10,000 balance for the treatment.
“The total cost of my treatment
was nearly £100,000 pounds, but I refused to put the burden on the neck of Ogun
State. As a former governor my health is part of their problem and if I die
today, the state will bury me.
“But I just did not bother
myself. Since the state government did not ask me about the medical procedure,
when they knew what I went through, I did bother them with the details. What I
cannot afford in my private life I would not go for it in any public office I
find myself.”
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