‘Other governors should follow suit’ — Obasanjo commends Otti for repealing pension law

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has commended Alex Otti, governor of Abia, for repealing the law that allowed former governors and their deputies to collect pensions.

Otti signed the bill to repeal ‘The Abia State Governors & Deputy Governors Pensions Law No 4 of 2001’ on Friday following the passing by the house of assembly on Tuesday.

The law stipulated that former Abia governors and deputies are entitled to 100 percent of the annual basic salaries of the incumbent governor and deputy; their cooks, stewards, drivers, and gardeners are to be paid by the state; and are entitled to three police officers and two operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Speaking during a courtesy visit to Otti at the governor’s country home in Nvosi, Isialangwa south LGA, Obasanjo congratulated the governor for ending what he described as “daylight robbery”.

The former president said he hopes other state governors would emulate Otti to reduce the cost of governance.

“The pension scheme for former governor here is atrocious; it’s like daylight robbery because it allows them to have a house in Abuja and elsewhere and cart away with whatever they feel like carting away yet the pension for ordinary people is unpaid. What sort of leadership is that?” He asked.

“You came and you said there will be an end to that rascality. I congratulate you and I say to you that I hope that some of your colleagues will follow in your footsteps. You have started but you should never be tired.

“You will 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 and you are doing what should be done.”

Obasanjo urged Otti to pay more attention to infrastructure.

“I will urge you that you pay adequate attention to infrastructure because if you give infrastructure and you give the type of leadership you are giving now, the people of this state have nothing to worry about because they are enterprising on their own,” he said.