Appeal Court rules against payment of severance allowance, pension to politicians

The Court of Appeal, Abuja, has ruled against the payment of either severance allowance, pension or gratuity, to political office holders and appointees.

 

The appellate court noted that the practice was morally wrong.

 

A three-man panel of the court held that it was unjustifiable in the face of the nation’s socio-economic reality for some few politicians, who hold office for not more than eight years, to allocate huge public funds to themselves in the name of pension and severance package, while civil servants, who committed most of their active years to the service of the nation are denied their retirement benefits.

 

The court made this known in a judgment on an appeal marked: CA/A/810/2017, filed by the government of Kogi state, and three others.

 

The appellate court, in its lead judgment by Justice Emmanuel Agim, said that it was wicked and morally wrong for political office holders and political appointees, who helped themselves to public funds while in office, to claim entitlement to pension and severance allowances, This Day reports.

 

Justice Agim said that, “I must state here that the claimants’ claim for payment of severance allowance, because the tenure of their appointments has come to an end, is morally wrong.

 

“As I have held that their letters of appointment did not stipulate that political appointees are entitled to such payment.

 

“They did not produce any law or any document or instrument that entitles them to such payment.

 

“The fact that elected pubic officeholders and political appointees are paid huge amounts of money as monthly salaries and other forms of allowances, while in office, is common knowledge in Nigeria and is not reasonable to open question.

 

“It is also common knowledge that many of them after an office tenure of between three to eight years become stupendously wealthy, exhibiting mind-blowing opulence and splendor.

 

“Yet these office holders insist on being paid severance allowance for holding such offices.

 

“Meanwhile, career civil servants, who served this country or their states or local governments, can hardly receive their pensions and gratuities after retirement.

 

“They are now being subjected to contributory pension schemes in which they contribute part of their monthly meagre salaries that are always paid in arrears while in service, to be able to earn pension and gratuity upon retirement.

 

“The political appointees and elected public office holders, who do not work as long and as hard as the career civil servants quickly get paid huge severance allowances upon leaving office in addition to the huge wealth they acquired while holding such offices and without having been subjected to any contributory pension schemes.

 

“It is not morally right to pay an elected public officer or political appointee pension and gratuity or severance allowance for holding such an office for three to eight years as the case may be.

 

“It cannot be justified in the context of our present social realities it amounts to gross social injustice,” he added.