Saraki Returns His Pension to the State
The Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, announced that Senate President Bukola Saraki refunded all pension payments made to him by the state. He revealed this during a press briefing in Ilorin while addressing the controversy surrounding Saraki’s pension.
Gold explained that Saraki stopped receiving his pension in August 2015. According to him, Saraki asked the government to stop the payments and return every amount already deposited in his account.
State Government Confirms Compliance
Gold stated that the government responded immediately to Saraki’s request. It halted all future payments and deducted every pension already paid from Saraki’s pending entitlements. He added that the law allows Saraki to receive the pension, but the Senate President chose not to.
According to the SSG, the pension was legal under the third schedule, Paragraph D (i) of the Governor and Deputy Governor Pension Law No. 12 of 2010.
Other Former Governors Also Qualify
Gold noted that Saraki is not the only former governor entitled to the pension. Other ex-governors and their deputies also qualify under the same law. He emphasized that neither Saraki nor the state government broke any rules.
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good: His love endures forever."
He further stated that the government believes Saraki deserves commendation for voluntarily giving up his entitlements. Gold expressed hope that the clarification would settle all controversies surrounding the issue.
Saraki Explains Why He Rejected His Pension
Saraki had earlier confirmed that he stopped collecting the pension he earned during his time as governor from 2003 to 2011. He wrote to the state government to end the payments because many Nigerians had complained that former governors who later became senators or ministers were receiving dual payments—pension and salary—from public funds. Saraki said he wanted to avoid such criticism by rejecting the pension completely.
