Is Governor Akpabio “caving in”? Makes Minor Amendment to “Mother of all Pensions” law

After signing what can only be described as the “mother of all pensions” Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State seems to be capitulating to growing local and international condemnations following the controversial pension law under which former governors and deputy governors of the state would live lavishly off the taxpayer.

He said, “I have decided that we should lift this evil siege by proposing to the House of Assembly that the parts of the amendment putting a N100 million ceiling and a N50 million ceiling on the medical treatment of former Governors and former Deputy Governors respectively be expunged from the amendment,” he said in a press statement, declaring he was deeply saddened by the vilification of Members of the House of Assembly for undertaking a course of action which ought to have been applauded. 

He however did not say anything about the cynical provisions in the law that he sent to the Assembly and rushed into law. .  “This tidal wave of propaganda, misinformation, lies, falsehood, mischief and cynicism, we fear, may already have sucked in some unsuspecting members of the public who lack the ability to appreciate the salient points of this law and its ennobling attributes,” he said, with no trace of irony.

He also did not address many obnoxious aspect of the new law to which he did not refer in his statement, preferring to focus on dismissing his critics in the state.

The criticism and condemnation will not stop sir, whether you amended a 16-year old law to fit yourself or added new items to the law. The issue before you is the serious waste of taxpayers’ funds on yourself and past governors and deputies when in effect those monies could have been allocated to better things towards the development of the state. That is the issue Sir, defending yourself is easy but the truth still stands.