The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked Edo governor, Godwin Obaseki to withdraw the N300m mansio retirement benefits for his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole and his deputy, Pius Odubu.

The Edo State assembly had amended the state’s pension law providing residential buildings worth N200m and N100m for the governor and his deputy at the expiration of their tenures.

But SERAP in a statement on Thursday through its executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni asked Obaseki to withdraw the benefits and pay pensioners instead.

The statement read in part, “SERAP is aware that the Edo State government is not the only state passing such obnoxious pension laws to provide outrageous retirement benefits to former governors and deputy governors and that many of them are already in the National Assembly receiving multiple benefits and putting their personal bank accounts ahead of the common good. SERAP is finalising a comprehensive legal strategy to challenge these unjust laws and to name and shame those who continue to benefit from such laws.”

“Nigerians should not be made to subsidise these bloated pensions and clearly undeserved perks. Governor Obaseki should not see disadvantaged Nigerians and poor pensioners according to Orwell’s Animal Farm dictum: ‘All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others’. Approving the amendment by the Edo State House of Assembly will amount to a fundamental breach of the governor’s constitutional oath declaration to serve the interest of justice, common good, transparency and accountability.”

Azeez