Advancing Legal and Ethical Arguments against Ex-Governors’ Pension Practice in Nigeria

AbstractOne of the biggest issues with public accountability in most federal systems is the payment of pensions to former public officeholders such as governors, which is arguably undermining ethical standards in the public sector and impeding socio-economic development. This is because of the arbitrariness of the policy, the huge financial burdens it imposes on subnational governments, and the fact that such practice is often uncorrelated with the fiscal realities of the federating states. The problem is more challenging in developing countries that are weighed by weak institutions and poor governance. Using the Nigerian case, the study shows how public officeholders’ pensions are shaped by corruption-prone defective legislative processes configured to birth ex post facto laws that widen rather than narrow corruption and inequalities. Adopting a descriptive exploratory research design and document analysis technique, this study offers valuable insights into addressing the ethical and legal challenges surrounding public pension administration. It advocates for adopting a standardised model for regulating and administering pensions for public officeholders in developing federal systems. By advancing legal and ethical arguments against the prevailing ex-governors’ pension practice in Nigeria, this paper contributes to the extant discourse on improving accountability and governance in the public sector.Keywords: Ex-governors’ pensionspublic officeholdersrent-seekingdouble-dippingfiscal capacity Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 For details of the Pakistani system, see for instance, the Governor’s Pension Order 1974, and the Governor’s Pension (Amendment) Order, 2015.2 See detail at: https://www.pensionnigeria.com/pension-news/these-states-have-no-plan-to-stop-outrageous-life-pension-to-ex-gov-deputies/.