The Akwa Ibom State Governors and Deputy Governors Pension Law, which has drawn wide public interest in the last few weeks, has been amended and signed into law by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio.
The amendment, which is the fifth in the sixteen-year old law, repealed the contentious ceiling of N100 million medical expenses for each ex-Governor and his spouse, and a ceiling of N50 million medical expenses for each former deputy governor and his spouse.
The law came to birth in 1998 as special grant for past state Governors and their deputies, and was further amended in 1999, adopted in 2000 as Governors and Deputy Governors Pension Bill and again in 2007 and 2014 respectively.
It would be recalled that the State Government had sought to place a ceiling on how much could be spent by the State Government on each former Governor and former Deputy Governor and their spouses, but this drew the ire of some members of the public which misinterpreted the intention of the Government.
Governor Godswill Akpabio – Governor of Akwa Ibom State
Addressing the press in Lagos in the thick of the controversy, Governor Akpabio in a speech he titled, “The Siege on Truth,” maintained that the contentious provision was made in good faith and to check abuses adding that leaving the law open-ended was not in the best interest of taxpayers.
He, however, posited that he considered the controversy a distraction and had decided to, in his words, “lift the siege on truth” by asking for this provision of the law to be repealed. He added philosophically, that “history will vindicate the just.”
By signing the amended bill into law, Governor Akpabio kept his promise, even though he pointed out that he would not benefit from the law until he leaves office in 2015.
He explained that the law covers former Governors and their deputies who served both in the old Cross River State, from which Akwa Ibom State was created and disclosed that the law would not cover Ex- Governors and their deputies who served less than three years.
He further said that the new amended law has expunged ceilings, which the public talked about, and that now there would be free medical treatment for Ex-Governors and their Deputies and their spouses, ” to protect the sources of the state” but that the Government should try to ensure that this was not abused.