Abia State governor, Alex Otti, has assented to the Abia State of Nigeria Governors and Deputy Governors Pension Repeal Law of 2024 recently passed by the Abia State House of Assembly.
Assenting to the bill, the governor who explained that the bill is an executive bill, thanked the State House of Assembly for expeditiously passing the bill and assured the House of the maximum support of his administration.
He said it was his belief from the onset that government was not going to continue with the practice of paying pensions to former governors and deputy governors in the state as the money would have been better used in offsetting the backlog of pensions owed Abia retired workers since 2014.
“I want to make a few things clear, one that even before we came onboard a lot of people who had followed our views understood that we were not going to continue with the practice of paying pensions and allowances to this set of former government officials. A lot of people had confronted me to remind me that very soon I will also be a former governor and I agree, ” Otti said.
While stressing that government is not about self-interest,the governor said he believed that repealing the pensions for governors and deputy governors was the right step to take as it is all about good governance and stewardship.
“It's all about good governance. It's all about stewardship to our people and I strongly believe that any leader who believes that leadership is a business has lost his way. As far as I am concerned, leadership is stewardship and if you now want to take up all the resources that belong to the people you are leading, I'm not sure that is morally correct,” Gov Otti stated.
According to him: “Government is not about self-interest and it's actually self-interest that destroys government, and if you accuse me of belonging to a class, I would readily admit, but add that I have happily committed class suicide because I would have benefitted if this law had continued. But we all know that it's not the best for the country, for this state, for the workers who were hitherto owed for months, and for pensioners who we are still struggling to defray several months and years of arrears from 2014. It's more appropriate for us to use the funds that would have been used to pay former elected political office holders.”
Otti appreciated the House for the cordial relationship existing between it and the executive arm of government which according to him is built on trust, respect and understanding that they are working for the common good of the people.
Presenting the bill for his assent earlier, the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Emmanuel Emereuwa, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Austin Meregini, said the bill repeals Law No. 4 of 2001 which empowers the state government to pay pensions to governors and deputy governors in the state.
He thanked the governor for working harmoniously with the State House of Assembly.
