Saraki’s Exemplary Sacrifice

The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, recently renounced his pension as a former governor of Kwara State. This move, he said, was in response to allegations from certain quarters about former governors, who are currently serving in this dispensation and are receiving pensions.

“No, I’m not collecting pension. The moment I saw that allegation, I wrote to my state to stop my pension. So, I speak for myself on that part. I’m not doing that, I am not receiving pension from my state. Morally, if you have got another job, you should give it up until when you are truly a pensioner.

“Some of these oversights are not addressing the issues. What the states should do is to go and amend their laws to say that if you have another appointment, then, you are not entitled to that benefit. With this, we will just simplify the matter.”

What Saraki has shown by his action is the sensitivity of leadership to protest by the governed. It has also shown that leaders too are human and may sometimes not be aware of their inadequacies, but amenable to superior debates when presented. Since the news, however, there have been calls, naturally, for other former governors, who are in the Senate and those currently serving in the President Muhammadu Buhari cabinet to follow suit. Importantly, Saraki, like former governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, who claimed he had never received pension at all, has shown a clear direction to his peers.

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