The payment of severance allowance, pension, or gratuity to political office holders and political appointees has been condemned by the Court of Appeal as morally wrong.
A three-judge panel of the court ruled that it is unjustifiable in light of the nation’s socioeconomic reality for a few politicians who hold office for no more than eight years to receive huge public funds in the form of pension and severance packages while civil servants who have dedicated the majority of their active years to serving the nation are denied retirement benefits.
This was stated by the Court of Appeal in Abuja in a judgment on an appeal marked: CA/A/810/2017 filed by the Governor of Kogi State and three others.
In its lead judgment, Justice Emmanuel Agim of the Court of Appeal stated 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.
Justice Agim stated: “I must state here that the claimants’ claim for payment of severance allowance because their appointment term has expired is as unfounded as it is morally wrong.”
As I previously stated, their letters of appointment did not state that they were entitled to such compensation. They failed to produce any law, document, or instrument entitling them to such payment.
The fact that elected public officeholders and political appointees are paid large sums of money as monthly salaries and other forms of allowances while in office is common knowledge in Nigeria and should not be called into question.
It is also widely known that many of them become enormously wealthy after serving in office for three to eight years, displaying mind-boggling opulence and splendor.
Nonetheless, these office holders insist on receiving severance pay for holding such positions.
Meanwhile, career civil servants who have spent their entire careers serving this country, their states, or local governments are unable to collect their pensions and gratuities when they retire.
They are now subjected to contributory pension schemes, in which they contribute a portion of their meager monthly salaries, which are always paid in arrears while in service, in order to receive a pension and gratuity upon retirement.
Political appointees and elected public office holders who do not work as long or as hard as career civil servants are quickly paid large severance allowances upon leaving office, in addition to the enormous wealth they accumulated while holding such offices and without being subjected to any contributory pension schemes.
It is not morally right to pay a pension and gratuity or severance allowance to an elected public officer or political appointee for holding such an office for three to eight years, as the case may be.
In the context of our current social realities, it cannot be justified; it amounts to gross social injustice.
