by admin 22 December 2012
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has condemned in strong terms, the payment of N50M by the Delta State government as pension to the former governor and now convict, James Onanefe Ibori.
Speaking on behalf of the Coalition, its Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran, noted that paying such a pension to Ibori pension amounts to rewarding corruption and encouraging its perpetrators.
“It is very disheartening that Delta State government could pay a common criminal like Ibori monthly pension. What is the essence of the payment? To compensate him for bleeding Delta State coffers white during his tenure? Or is he being paid for rendering many hapless and helpless Deltans useless and worthless in his reign? Ibori has been convicted of a fraction of the crimes he committed while in power, and will definitely come back to face the wrath of the Nigerian Law after he might have ended his jail term in the United Kingdom, so he should be deemed to have been dismissed from office and therefore, not entitled to pension.”
Adeniran described as “preposterous” on the part of current leadership of Delta State to have incorporated Ibori into its pension payments.
“Such a move will further encourage corruption among political office holders when many Nigerians are working frantically to reduce corruption to the barest minimum,” he said.
He further urged the anti-graft agencies to be vigilant, stating that such an unwarranted payment is capable of deepening corruption in the country and hardening its perpetrators, since they know that respite awaits them even if they get caught after leaving office.
The current governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, is a blood relative of Ibori’s who was handpicked by Ibori to succeed him.