Governor Alex Otti of the State of Nigeria has received praise from former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his approval to the Abia State of Nigeria Governors and Deputy Governors Pension Repeal Law.
Former state governors and deputy governors were no longer eligible for life pensions under the law.
When Obasanjo visited the governor of Nvosi Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area on Friday, he gave the commendation.
“I saw the repeal of Abia pensions of 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 will be an end to that rascality.
“I congratulate you and I hope that your colleagues will follow your footstep,” Obasanjo said.
The former president told Otti that there is a lot of work to be done in the state.
“You have started well, but you should never be tired nor 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 requested that the governor of Abia maintain his diligence and devote enough of his time to infrastructure development.
Obasanjo asserted that the Abian people were enterprising and would be immensely encouraged if they were given adequate facilities and skilled leadership.
“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.
In response, Otti expressed his firm belief that infrastructure continues to be a critical factor in determining socioeconomic growth.
Additionally, he stated that the government of Abia deliberately invested in infrastructure development, especially in Aba, which serves as the Southeast’s industrial center.
“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 extended his gratitude to Obasanjo for backing the state government’s decision to repeal the pension law pertaining to past governors and deputy governors.
