Obasanjo hails Otti over Ikpeazu, other ex-govs pension repeal law

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has commended Gov. Alex Otti of Abia for assenting to the Abia State of Nigeria Governors and Deputy Governors Pension Repeal Law.

Obasanjo made the commendation on Friday when he paid a visit to the governor in Nvosi Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area.

“I saw the repeal of Abia pensions for former governors; you said to me that the pension scheme for former governors here is too outrageous.

“It allows them to have a house in Abuja and elsewhere, and it allows them to cart away with whatever they can.

“Yet the pensions of ordinary people from 2014 are unpaid’ and you came and said there would be an end to that rascality.

“I congratulate you, and I hope that your colleagues will follow your lead," Obasanjo said.

The former president told Otti that there were lots of things to do in the state.

“You have started well, but you should never be tired or discouraged, because you will be abused and you will be called names.”

“If we have one-third of our states doing what should be done, this country will be a different country," Obasanjo said.

He urged the Abia governor to remain diligent and to pay adequate attention to infrastructure development.

He said that the people of Abia were enterprising, adding that good leadership and adequate infrastructure would serve as a huge incentive for them.

“I have always maintained that if there’s any zone in this country that could really give what I call regional development, it’s the Southeast, because you are almost monolithic in everything,” he said.

Responding, Otti said that he strongly believed that infrastructure remains a key determinant of socio-economic growth.

He also said that the Abia government was intentional about developing infrastructure, particularly in Aba as the industrial hub of South Africa.

“In the last nine months, we have completed and commissioned ten roads in Aba, and at the moment, we have about 31 roads that are in different stages of construction and completion’’, he said.

Otti thanked Obasanjo for supporting the resolve of the state government to revoke the pension law for former governors and their deputy governors.

He further said that he believed that “leadership is stewardship” and should be done with commitment to improving the welfare of the people by handling public funds prudently.

Otti urged the federal and state governments to make conscious efforts to recalibrate the cost of governance.