Former Kwara Political Office Holders Demand Payment Of Their Severance Packages
Former commissioners, special advisers, and other constitutionally entitled ex-political office holders in Kwara State are demanding the payment of their severance packages, which they claim have been unjustly withheld by the state government. These politicians argue that they are constitutionally entitled to these funds after serving the state for several years.
According to one former commissioner, who served for a total of seven years, including four years as a commissioner and three years as a Special adviser, they were supposed to be paid from a sum of N10 billion which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prevented the previous administration, led by Abdulfatah Ahmed government, from accessing in the final months of their tenure. Allegedly, the EFCC achieved this by intimidating state bankers and personnel in the Ministry of Finance, threatening them with detention if they cooperated with the outgoing government.
The former politicians also claim that the disgraced former EFCC head in the Ilorin zone, Isyaku Sharu, who was eventually removed from his position due to corruption and arm-twisting tactics.
According to the politicians, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq only approved severance packages for his own allies immediately after their service. Some of these individuals served for as little as a year.
In addition, the former office holders allege that they were informally told that the payment of their severance packages was being withheld because the government they served with, also withheld gratuity payments of civil servants who had worked for up to 35 years. So they had to be tormented because of a policy decision, that they had nothing to do with.
It is worth noting that political office holders in other states, as well as Ministers and National Assembly members, receive severance payments upon the completion of their tenures. The former politicians are calling on His Excellency, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President of the federal republic of Nigeria, to intervene on their behalf.
The President who reportedly urged governors to pay outstanding salary arrears, including gratuities and severance packages of ex-political office holders, to intervene in their case.
According to statements credited to the President, all the extra funds channeled to states was to clear all backlogs of arrears, gratuity, pensions and severance packages of ex-political office holders. The President believes that this intervention is important to alleviate the financial burdens imposed by the recent removal of fuel subsidies.
The former office holders are critical of the current administration for its alleged vindictiveness, as they claim it has also denied all opposition parties access to palliatives distributed by the federal government and has not shown any willingness to pay their severance packages in the last five years.
They argued that these actions by the All Progressives party (APC) Kwara state regime sets a dangerous precedence and begs the question of what will happen when power eventually changes hands?
Furthermore, the former politicians emphasize that it was not only former office holders like, Commissioners, Special advisers, and state assembly members who are entitled to severance packages. They assert that ex Secretaries to the State Government and the former Heads of Service are also constitutionally entitled to receive these benefits.
No comments