Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and ex-Edo State Governor, Lucky Igbinedion, have urged the incoming and outgoing governors to always plan their exit from inception in order not to be caught unprepared when their tenure ends.

Speaking at a farewell dinner organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for outgoing governors in Abuja on Sunday night, Saraki urged the governors to brace up for the challenges after leaving office, saying life after the end of their tenure would be challenging.

The former two-term governor of Kwara State warned the governors against interfering in the affairs of their successors just as he enjoined the incoming governors to avoid confrontation with their predecessors.

The former Senate President said: “Governors, please, note that from June, you are no longer governors. Please, leave your successors to do the work that they have to do. They will come to ask you for advice, please give them the device.

“As you exit as governors, you should brace up for the challenges ahead. It is a challenge when you actually exit the office.

“Spend more time with your family. Prepare yourself. Give more time to catch your flight, because no one is going to wait for you if you are late. The plane will go.

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“Save more money for more hampers because the number will come down. Save money for ram because you will now have to buy for yourself, unlike before,” Saraki, a former NGF Chairman, stated.

On his part, Igbinedion urged the governors to always be prepared for their exit from the “very first day you are sworn in because the job necessarily takes all of your time”.

The ex-NGF Chairman added: “You hardly can find time to focus on planning for life after office. From the moment you are sworn in, the countdown begins.

“When you bow out, do not look back. I know it is not easy to transition from being the number one citizen in the state to becoming just another citizen.

“There is always the temptation to always want to remain in control of things that you have left behind or left in the office.

“Please, and I repeat, do not let the bug bite you. It leads to an unavoidable conflict with your successor and creates needless tension in the system.

“Let your successor seek your counsel. If he seeks your counsel, you should be gracious enough to offer advice. If he does not, then let him be. That way, you keep your self-respect and you are free to focus on the next stage of life’s journey.

“In or out of office, the core essence of one’s personality never really changes. I am an ardent believer that power does not change people it only reveals who they truly are.

“From personal experience, I can assure you that friends of the office are always birds of passage. The day you leave office is the terminal date of their fellowship with you.

“Those who used to call you five times a day will not even bother to take your call not to mention calling you back. Believe me, it happens,” he said.

Others, who spoke at the event, were former Governors Muazu Babangida Aliyu (Niger) and Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), among others.

The Star