The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State says Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s decision to abolish the payment of pension to former governors and their deputies has added to his “lofty credentials’’.
The APC, the ruling party in the state, said in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Seye Oladejo, on Wednesday night, that those peddling falsehood about the proposed repeal of the Pension Law, 2007 as it affected the past governors and their deputies, were “enemies of the state’’.
In a statement entitled: “Re- The truth behind Sanwo-Olu’s proposed cancellation of pension payments to Tinubu, Fashola and Ambode”, Oladejo described as false the claim that Sanwo-Olu’s plan to borrow money from the capital market necessitated the move.
He said that critics of the governor alleged that the state government was directed by the capital market to cancel the payments to the erstwhile governors and their deputies before it can be granted the loan.
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“The governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, while dropping the hint about the repeal made it explicitly clear that it was a move to cut the cost of governance and show the sincere political will to re-order the priorities of the government in the face of current realities.
“The move, which has been widely applauded by a cross-section of well-meaning people, actually jolted the enemies of progress,” Oladejo said.
The APC spokesman alleged that the misinformation and falsehood were tainted with bitter politics.
He said that the state government appreciated the goodwill its effort to kick-start the rebuilding of facilities, damaged during the EndSARS protests, had garnered.
He said that the government was mindful of its role to lead from the front while totally upholding the public trust.
Oladejo said: “The governor, typical of his administration, consulted far and wide before arriving at the decision to repeal the public officers’ pension law for our collective good.
“We commend his exemplary courage which has added to his lofty credentials. Since its inception, the Sanwo-Olu administration has focused on cost-saving measures to make funds available for important projects.
“The deliberate refusal of the governor to acquire official vehicles and the low-priced brands allocated to high ranking state officials were moves in the right direction.
“While we encourage opposition as part of the development of our democratic culture, deliberate falsehoods and outright lies do not represent the quality of minds that our people deserve and are not the kind of culture we want our children to imbibe,” the APC spokesman said.
He said that only those who did not wish Lagos well would disparage the good step taken by the governor.
“It is expedient to state that the circular issued by Nigeria Pension Commission in January 2020 to Lagos was basically on queries relating to operational differences between the Pension Reform Act of 2004 and the Lagos State Pension Reform Law 2007.
“It had nothing to do with pensions to Governor’s or their deputies, Oladejo said.