The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has said he declined to be compensated as a former governor of Lagos State.
According to the former Governor of Lagos State, he took the decision even before he left office when he told the State Executive Council to count him out of such compensation, which had become a law before he got into office.
Fashola said he was “conflicted” morally about the compensation.
In an interview he grated Channels TV, the former Chief of Staff to former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he succeeded, said: “If I understand that clearly, I think there has been this public expression of concern about certain legislation passed at the state level to compensate, as it were, people who had held offices as governors.
“It happened in my state but I can say very clearly that I declined to benefit and I stated clearly in a recorded minute of meeting of government in State Executive Council, that if this was a privilege conferred on me, I had a right to refuse, which I refused and the cabinet should record my refusal to partake because I was conflicted morally about the position.
“For me, the real privilege and honour was to serve.
“I have gone back to my house in Surulere and I am not collecting any emolument.
“I know that there was some credit they sent, about N357,000, to my account every month and I have asked them to explain what it is for, but the money is there in my salary account.
“So, if I have collected anything, I know that is what I have collected since I left office.
“I have collected N357,000 monthly.
“No house was built for me in Lagos and Abuja.
“Unless those making the point say I shouldn’t get paid because my salary as a minister is N900,000 plus or minus every month.”
Fashola, who spoke about former governors who receive their pension and still enjoy the emolument staying in the Senate or other capacities, said if the representatives of the state passed the law, then it is legal.
He said: “I think my opinion, I can be legalistic about it and say if the elected representatives of the people of that state pass that law, that’s the law.
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