Abia: Abolition of pensions for governors and deputies thrills senators from Abia and others.
State stakeholders have not stopped responding to the Abia State House of Assembly’s repeal of the bill and Governor Alex Otti’s subsequent assent, which eliminated pensions for past governors and their deputies.
Recall that the majority leader of the House of Assembly, Okoro Uchenna Kalu, who represents the state of Arochukwu, spearheaded an Executive Bill entitled “The Abia State Governor’s and Deputy Governor’s Pensions Law Repeal Bill 2024” on behalf of the Otti-led Government.
On Tuesday, March 19, the measure was brought to the House floor, granted an expedited hearing by the parliamentarians, and then signed into law that same day.
Speaker of the House of Assembly Emmanuel Emeruwa announced the bill’s passing and insisted that the present Assembly will always approve laws that are focused on the needs of the people. He stated the measure was in line with the desires of the majority of Abians.
Thursday, March 21st, saw the bill delivered to Governor Otti, who signed it into law right away. Among his remarks was, “Many of the people who have followed our views in the national discourse understand that we were not going to continue the practice of paying pensions and allowances to this set of former government officials even before this new law came into place.”
Obasanjo and former government officials respond
About 12 hours after it was signed into law, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was among the first pundits to praise the move during a courtesy visit on Governor Otti.
Obasanjo applauded Otti for his bravery and the audacious deed, calling the repealed Pension legislation “rascality and daylight robbery.”
The former president said that it was unfair to provide former governors and their deputies with jumbo pensions when civil workers who worked for the state for many years should be entitled to them instead. He exhorted other governors to take Otti’s lead.
“It’s like trouble because it let them own a house in Abuja and other places, and it let them take whatever they wanted with them, but the regular people’s 2014 pensions were not paid.”
“You arrived and promised to put an end to such mischievous behavior. I’d want to congratulate you and wish that your colleagues would emulate you.
Obasanjo wasn’t the only one on the list of praise, as other Abia stakeholders supported the governor’s decision in an equal measure.
In response, the state’s three former governors, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Theodore Orji, and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, vehemently denied ever receiving a pension payment from the state government after leaving office.
Nevertheless, as of the time of this report, their deputies had not responded.
The elimination of pensions for past governors and their deputies was a topic of discussion among several parties, including serving senators and distinguished people.
Ohuabunwa
Political office holders shouldn’t be eligible for pensions, according to Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, a former national president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), and a 2023 presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He stated, among other things, “I have been opposed to the payment of pensions to political office holders from a philosophical and principled point of view.” An assignment in politics is not a career.
Even if some of them would have served for four or eight years, it would not have been sufficient to qualify for a pension. After working for a set number of years, you are eligible for a pension for a career position. The work is well priced because it is an ad hoc task.
They get good pay.
They were lavishly fed and taken care of while they were in power, particularly the governors. They converted their security votes—which belonged to the government—into personal usage. They still wish to defraud the same individuals they have mistreated in spite of everything.
“These are the factors contributing to the depletion of public funds and trust.”
Ohuabunwa went on to say that the “huge amount” that was suggested as a pension plan for the governors and their deputies was “annoying.”
It is oppressive, abusive, and demeaning. Therefore, I support any state that repeals the pension legislation, and I naturally favor Abia.
Wabara
However, former Senate President and PDP Board of Trustees Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara said that while the pension package plan for past governors and their deputies was not a terrible concept, it was exploited in some areas.
“I think it was a good idea to discourage governors from being corrupt while they were in office,” he stated. If a legislation like this was implemented, the theory went, the governors would be happy with their pay and would have something to fall back on when they left office.
The goal, I believe, is to discourage the governors from stockpiling for the inevitable rainy day when they leave office.
You are aware that these governors enact legislation. Given that they naturally control their State House of Assembly, they could have misused it. The Speaker is installed and operated by them.
But in order to speak further on the subject, Senator Wabara wishes he had information on the Governors’ and their Deputies’ pension packages.
Nwogu
In a same vein, Senator Nkechi Nwogu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who represents Abia Central, supported the repeal by stating that pensions are only granted to public personnel who have worked for 30 years. So what role does a governor play after only four or eight years in office? While in government, they give themselves security votes.
“If governors are demanding pension payments, what about chairmen of local government? Why won’t they get compensated as well?
“I completely concur that the Abia State House of Assembly should revoke the legislation. The irony, though, is that none of the previous governors have ever received this, from what I’ve heard. Additionally, the revocation demonstrates Gov. Otti’s empathy for the suffering of the populace.
Ugochukwu
In a similar vein, Onyema Ugochukwu, the former chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), backed the repeal of the pension legislation on the grounds that the public must discuss and approve it.
“I oppose the pensions that governors in several states, including Abia, have received over the years. It’s difficult to defend that. Thus, I believe that our governor made the correct decision. If we proceed, we ought to have a thorough discussion and understand precisely what the participants are paying for.
Bishop Opoko
Speaking his views on the subject, Archbishop Raphael Opoko, the Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia Diocese, stated that previous governors and their deputies ought to learn from the Anambra State governor and the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election about pension concerns.
“Are you unaware that Peter Obi turned down a pension? During his eight years in office, he refused to touch pensions or houses or cars. What distinguishes him from other people, then?
Instead of robbing the people, they came to serve them. Services with a focus on individuals should be provided.
