Akwa Ibom Commissioner
for Justice and Attorney-General, Mr Ekpenyong Ntekim, says the state government decided to repeal the governor’s pension law 2014 in deference to public outcry.
Ntekim, who gave the explanation at a press conference in Uyo on Saturday, lamented that “the governor has become a victim of his honest intention.”
He said that state government had intended to solve the problem of open-ended provisions in the 2006 pension law for former governors and deputy governors.
The amended law 2014 had provided for a ceiling of N100 million on the medical allowances of the former governors and N50 million for former deputy governors per annum respectively.
The amendment, which took members of the State House of Assembly less than two weeks, attracted fierce criticism from the public including the state chapter of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
“We submit to the will of the people in this respect because in a democracy, power lies with the people.The intention was not for the present occupant of the office to benefit.It was a measure of responsibility on the part of government to seek to arrest the potential risk of abuse of the open-ended provision in the previous law,” Ntekim said.
Ntekim, who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Information and Commissioner, Mr Aniekan Umanah, expressed the hope that the state government would enjoy some respite having yielded to the people’s wish.
“We want to hope that this will bring to an end all hostilities,” Ntekim said.
He said that he would expect the state House of Assembly to organise a public forum on further amendment of the law. We invite and welcome robust discussion of the bill on the floor of the State House of Assembly, we will be there to defend our position,” Ntekim said.
The Akwa Ibom Pension Law for Governors and Deputy Governors 2014 was an amendment of the existing law as amended in 2006.
Member representing Bonny, Constituency in Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Aye A. Pepple (right) with Commissioner for Transport, Rivers State, Hon George Tolofari (left) during official commissioning/handover ceremony of Bonny Women’s Hall constructed as constituency project recently. Photo: Sampson Egberi
