…Gives reasons for abolishing ex-govs’, deputies’ pension
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Governor Alex Otti, has declared that the era of sharing the allocation of the state as blood tonic to few privileged individuals was over.
The Governor who made the declaration while speaking at a seminar on strategies to shore up the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of the state, vowed that under his watch, public funds would be used for developmental purposes.
He explained that the decision of his administration to abolish the pension law for ex-Governors and their Deputies was not to witch-hunt his predecessors but to spread development evenly among the people.
The action, according to him, had become imperative to move the state forward.
He added that the action was part of government’s effort to cut the cost of governance.
“So, when you saw that we put through our resolve to cut cost of governance by stopping frivolous payments to people who have left government (former Governors and their Deputies), it is because we just believe that the right thing should be done.
“Very soon we will also be former Governor, so the policy is not targeted at anyone, it’s targeted at good governance, it’s targeted at reduction in the cost of governance. And quite frankly, we believe it is the right thing to do.
“We don’t believe that politics is a business. We believe that people should have things they are doing before coming to serve, and if you have offered yourself to serve, then you should be willing to make the required sacrifices.
“If you find yourself in this place, you should count yourself lucky that people believe in you, gave you their support and their votes. It is a privilege, and the least that is expected of you is to make sacrifices for the betterment of the State.
“So, the days of sharing money are over, the days of blood tonic politics are also over. This is the time to make sacrifices for the interest of the State,” the Governor buttressed.
