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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo lauded Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and the Abia State House of Assembly on Friday for their bold decision to revoke the legislation granting former governors and deputies of the state lifelong pension benefits.
During a visit to Governor Otti in Abia, Obasanjo voiced his commendation while en route to Item to partake in the festivities honoring his former Special Assistant on Privatisation, Bishop Sunday Onuoha’s 61st birthday.
Describing the annulled Pension law as “irresponsible conduct,” Obasanjo expressed his wish that other state governors would follow Otti’s lead.
Obasanjo pointed out the exorbitant pensions for former governors and deputies, juxtaposed with the unpaid pensions of regular retired workers in Abia since 2014, denouncing the situation as blatant robbery.
The former President said, “I watched the television and I saw : repealing 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 whatever they can, yet the pensions of ordinary people have been unpaid since 2014.
“What sort of leadership! You came and said there will be an end to that rascality. I congratulate you and I say to you, I hope that your colleagues will follow your footsteps.
“I say congratulation. Congratulation for your tenacity, congratulation for not giving up, congratulation for weathering the storm and congratulation for what you did yesterday (signing the repealing of pension law for former Governors and Deputy Governors).
Read also: I Had No Private Conversation With Obasanjo — Iwuanyanwu
“This morning, I came in and I met you exercising, a sound mind and a sound body and I say to you, now I know your secret. I was glad when you said you do that every other day. It’s just like me playing squash on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I think a leader must keep himself or herself in a healthy condition.
“There is still a lot of work to be done, I said to you. You have started, but you should never be tired. Don’t be discouraged. You will be abused, you will be called names, but if we have one third of our states doing what should be done, this country will be a different country.”
“I will urge you to pay adequate attention to infrastructure because if you give infrastructure and you give the type of leadership you are giving, the people of the state will have nothing to worry about. On their own they are enterprising. All they need is the leadership that will give them all the encouragement.
“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.”
Upon welcoming the former President, Governor Otti reassured him that his administration remains steadfast and unwavering in its commitment to infrastructural advancement, with particular emphasis on Aba, recognizing it as the cornerstone of all essential development efforts.
Additionally, Otti disclosed that over the last nine months, his government has finished and officially opened 10 roads in Aba, while an additional 31 roads are currently undergoing rehabilitation at various phases.
Governor Otti thanked the former President for backing his administration’s decision to revoke the law granting pensions to former Governors and Deputy Governors in the state, stressing that the challenge of governance costs is a pressing issue for both states and the Federal Government.
“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,” the governor said.
