Saraki received salary as governor until August 2015 … 4 years after his tenure ended – Witness tells Court

A witness told the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) that the number three citizen in Nigeria, Bukola Saraki, continued to receive a governor’s salary four years after his tenure ended.

That’s from May 29 2011 to August 31st 2015.

However, Vanguard reports that Kwara state responded saying he’s only receiving pension.

Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, in a reaction, explained that Dr Saraki’s last salary was N291,474.00 for the month of May 2011.

The SSG said in a statement: “From June 2011, former Governor Saraki started receiving his pension which was N578,188.00 as other past governors in the country.”

He added that after the review of pensions of former political office holders by the State Pension Board, the former governor’s pension increased to N1,239,493.94 monthly from October 2014 to date.

Alhaji Gold dismissed as false and misleading the allegation that the former Governor, Saraki, was receiving salaries after the expiration of his two-term tenure as governor of the state.

However, Saraki’s people have claimed he doesn’t have access to his pension, and it has been used to pay scholarships.

Meanwhile, Abdulwahab Isa, the Director-General of Abubakar Bukola Saraki Constituency Office, otherwise known as Mandate, has said that since Saraki left office in May 2011, his pension, which was paid into a special account, had been managed by a group of trustees and used for education endowment for students across the state. Isa, in a statement in Ilorin yesterday, said the Senate President did not even have access to the account.

He said a group of trustees, led by him, were mandated to use the money to pay scholarship grants and funds for Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) forms for students across the state. He said: “We have also used the money to pay for coaching of students, who were preparing for JAMB examinations.

For example, the most recent beneficiaries from the funds were two University of Ilorin Faculty of Law students, who were the best in their set and needed money for their enrollment into the Nigerian Law School.”

Justice Danladi Umar has adjourned the hearing until April 18.

Photo Credit: NAN Photo | Vanguard