Umuahia, March 22, 2024 – Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has commended the Abia State Government for its courage to repeal the law granting pension payment to former governors and their deputies.
Obasanjo gave the commendation on Friday during a visit to the State Governor, Alex Otti, at his country home in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of the state.
He described payment of pension to former state governors and their deputies as outrageous and a daylight robbery.
Obasanjo called on other state governors that are paying pension to former governors to emulate their Abia State counterpart and stop the practice.
“I watched the television and I saw the repealing of Abia pensions and I asked you what exactly is this, and you said to me that the pensions scheme for former governors here was too outrageous.
“It’s like trouble because it allowed them to have a house in Abuja and elsewhere, and it allowed them to cart away with whatever they can, yet the pensions of ordinary people from 2014 are unpaid.
“What sort of leadership? You came and said there would be an end to that rascality. I congratulate you, and I say to you, I hope that your colleagues will follow in your footsteps.
“I have always maintained that if there is any zone in this country that could really give what I call regional development, it’s the South East geo-political zone because you are almost monolithic in everything,” Obasanjo said.
Otti, in his response, assured President Obasanjo that his administration was focused and single-minded on infrastructural development, especially in Aba.
“I agree with you completely on your comment about infrastructure, that is why we are very focused and single-minded in developing infrastructure, particularly for Aba, which is the commercial and industrial hub of the state, and actually the South East.
“I want to also thank you for supporting our decision to repeal the pension law for former governors and former deputy governors.
“I had said yesterday as I signed the bill into law that I strongly believe that leadership is stewardship and if you’ve come to serve the people, you can’t at the same time be fleecing the people.” (GBN)
