Now retired Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, whose voluntary retirement has earlier been accepted by President Muhammadu Buhari, will not be
Now retired Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, whose voluntary retirement has earlier been accepted by President Muhammadu Buhari, will not be retiring empty handed but will be living out his retirement with healthy retirement benefits.
His retirement benefits in cash and kind will cost taxpayers about N2.5 billion. As part of the package for retired chief justices, a house will be built for him in Abuja with a nine-digit sum for furnishing, in addition to a severance gratuity that is 300% of his annual basic salary of N3,363,972.50, as well as pension for life. He is also entitled to a number of domestic staff and sundry allowances for personal upkeep.
Onnoghen has been enmeshed in a false asset declaration scandal since January 2019, for failing to declare a domiciliary US dollar account, a domiciliary euro account, a domiciliary (pound sterling) account, an e-saver savings (naira) account and a naira account, all maintained with Standard Chartered Bank (Nig.) Ltd in Abuja as part of the compulsory asset declaration form, upon resuming office as CJN.
68 year old Onnoghen was due for retirement in 2020, but he turned in his resignation letter as CJN on April 4, 2019, to save himself from prosecution. The President through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu thanked Justice Onnoghen for his service to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and wished him the best of retirement life.
