The Abia State House of Assembly has revoked the law empowering former governors and their deputies to collect pensions.
Citing the high cost of governance and seeking means to address it, the lawmakers passed the bill to repeal the pensions law for ex-governors.
Former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, who is now a senator, signed the “Abia State Governors & Deputy Governors Pensions Law No 4 of 2001” in 2001.
Kalu governed the state from 1999 to 2007
The law stipulates that the former governors and deputies are entitled to 100 percent of the annual basic salaries of the incumbent governor and deputy.
It further specified that 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).
Also, the ex-governors are entitled to two vehicles worth N20 million each every four years.
Meanwhile, at the plenary on Tuesday, the state lawmakers passed a bill to repeal the pensions law for governors.
The bill was sponsored by Okoro Uchenna Kalu, the lawmaker representing the Arochukwu state constituency.
Uchenna Kalu spoke about the objective of the bill saying is to “ensure that the outrageous cost of governance is reduced to channel Abia state resources towards the development of the state”.
The bill is expected to be transmitted to Governor Alex Otti, for assent.
If Otti signs the bill into law, all former governors of the state and their deputies, including Kalu, Theodore Orji, and Okezie Ikpeazu, will not be entitled to pensions any longer.
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