Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, signed a law on Thursday to stop the pensions of former governors and deputy governors in Abia State. The law, called the Abia State of Nigeria Governors and Deputy Governors Pension Repeal Law of 2024, was recently approved by the state House of Assembly on Tuesday.
After approving the bill, Otti thanked the state House of Assembly for swiftly passing the legislation and assured them of his administration's full support.
Otti had always believed that his government should not continue the practice of paying pensions to former state governors and deputy governors. He thought the money would be better used to clear the backlog of pensions owed to retired Abia workers since 2014.
He explained, "Before we even took office, many people knew we would not continue paying pensions and allowances to former government officials. Many people reminded me that I would also be a former governor one day, and I agree.
“Many people have approached me to remind me that soon I will also be a former governor, and I completely agree.”
He emphasized that governing is not about self-interest and believed that stopping the pensions for governors and deputy governors was the right decision for good governance and stewardship.
The governor continued, “It’s all about good governance. It’s all about stewardship to our people, and I strongly believe that any leader who thinks of leadership as a business has lost their way.
“In my view, leadership is stewardship, and I don't think it is morally right to take all the resources that belong to the people you are leading.
“Government is not about self-interest, and self-interest actually destroys government. 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 benefited 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 previously owed for months, and for pensioners who we are still struggling to pay 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 to pay our workers.”
Otti thanked the House of Assembly for the good relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government, which is based on trust, respect, and the common goal of serving the people.
When presenting the bill for Otti's approval, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Emmanuel Emereuwa, represented by Deputy Speaker, Austin Meregini, mentioned that the bill repeals Law No 4 of 2001, which allowed the state government to pay pensions to governors and deputy governors. He also expressed gratitude to the governor for working cooperatively with the state House of Assembly.
