Mimiko denies sponsoring mega-pension bill

Ondo State former Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, has denied sending a pension bill that would have benefitted him, other former governors and deputy governors to the state’s House of Assembly.

The former governor was alleged to have planned to present about 38 bills before the House which included a pension bill for ex-governors and their deputies.

The governor was also alleged to have made several efforts to expedite the passage of many of the bills into law, particularly the pension bill but was unsuccessful due to a crisis among the state’s lawmakers.

Speaking through the former Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, Mimiko said he neither planned to sponsor any bill, nor did he lobby the lawmakers to pass any bill.

Akinmade said, “I don’t think it is correct; what they were doing then was to blackmail him (Mimiko). They thought they could hide under (Rotimi) Akeredolu’s emergence to blackmail the former governor because of their selfish interest. I am aware that all the former governors, former deputy governors, even former presidents and vice presidents that are still living have the emoluments they collect, so Mimiko’s case cannot be an exception.”

Similarly, Chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Information, Siji Akindiose, said he was not aware of any pension bill sponsored by the former governor.