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Lagos State Government has earmarked N6.2 billion in its 2025 budget to purchase 40 properties for members of the State House of Assembly, raising fresh concerns over lawmakers’ perks and fiscal priorities. According to the state’s second quarter 2025 budget performance document, N1 billion—representing 16.1 percent of the allocation—has already been spent on the scheme. Advertisements The provision implies that each of the 40 lawmakers will be entitled to a house, either in Lagos or Abuja, valued at about N155 million apiece.
A review of past budget performance reports shows that this provision has been recurring. In 2023, N1.22 billion was allocated for the same purpose, with about N1.131 billion eventually spent—reflecting a 92.7 percent performance. However, the 2024 budget saw a sharp increase in allocation to N6.2 billion, although only N126 million was spent by year end.
What remains unclear is whether the properties purchased in 2023 were provided for members of the ninth assembly whose tenure ended that year, or if the scheme was intended for incoming lawmakers of the tenth assembly.The documents also do not specify whether the initiative originated from the executive arm or was inserted by the legislature. Legal experts point to Section 124(5) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers state assemblies to legislate on pensions for governors and deputies but not for lawmakers.
This raises questions about whether such provisions fall within constitutional boundaries. In 2019, former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, refused to sign a bill granting life pensions to lawmakers, citing the same constitutional limitation.
The Lagos case comes at a time when public scrutiny over pensions and retirement benefits for political office holders has intensified. While many states, including Abia and Benue in 2024, have moved to repeal life pension laws for former governors and deputies, Lagos legislators appear to be creating new entitlements for themselves.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had in 2020 announced plans to repeal the controversial Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension) Law, which granted benefits to ex-governors and deputies. However, lawmakers only reduced the entitlements by half, instead of repealing them outright. With this fresh N6.2 billion allocation, civil society organisations and fiscal transparency advocates are likely to intensify calls for accountability, questioning whether the housing provision amounts to an indirect pension scheme for serving and outgoing lawmakers.
