Former presidential spokesman Pastor Reno Omokri has criticised the outgoing vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, for saying N250,000 monthly pension for him is too small.
Omokri, a People’s Democratic Party chieftain, condemned the comment of Osinbajo in a tweet on Sunday, May 28, 2023.
He further accused the outgoing vice president of not paying attention to the plight of the common man for the past eight years he has been in office.
He also stated that Osinbajo tried to betray his former boss and president-elect, Bola Tinubu, by contesting for the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
He wrote:
“Vice President Osinbajo is complaining that ₦250,000 monthly pension for him as an ex-VP is insufficient. Then how does he expect the man earning ₦30,000 minimum wage to survive?
“For eight years, he chaired the National Economic Council. He never advocated for a pay rise for Nigerian workers.
“Now that he is about to go after attempting, and failing, to stab Tinubu in the back, he wants a pay rise. Really?”
While speaking at the valedictory session of the outgoing Federal Executive Council, Osinbajo had said while addressing President Muhammadu Buhari:
“Part of the problem with that is that sometimes, you (Buhari) and I end up getting the very short end of the stick.
“If you look at the laws today, our retirement benefits, yours (Buhari) will be N350,000 a month by law and mine will be N250,000 per month. Those, of course, as you can imagine are very tiny amounts of money.
“And I think that one of the things that we must do is to, perhaps, see how we can amend that law so that I will not come to you in Daura and ask for some of your bulls to sell in order to survive.”
Earlier, the first lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, also called for increased benefits for ex-presidents and ex-vice-presidents.
She added that former first ladies should also be beneficiaries of such benefits.
Her words: “The Federal Government should consider us as people that need help, not as magic makers.
“And on the privileges given to the former presidents of Nigeria, they should do more. Considering what people go through in that Presidential Vill, it is still not enough.
“And at the same time, I want them to incorporate women, the former first ladies, among the beneficiaries.”
