…calls it “Unnecessary Burden”
By Our Reporter
Umuahia — Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has repealed a law signed by his predecessor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, that granted former governors and deputy governors extensive lifetime benefits, a move the current administration says will reduce government waste and redirect funds to critical public services.
The repealed law, enacted shortly before Ikpeazu left office in May 2023, provided a wide-ranging retirement package for past chief executives and their deputies. According to the provisions, beneficiaries were entitled to:
– Security: One police orderly, two operatives of the Department of State Services, and two police officers assigned to guard their residence
– Healthcare: Lifetime medical care
– Pension: 100 percent of the annual salary of the office holder for life
– Domestic staff: Allowances for a cook, steward, driver, and gardener
– Vehicles: Official vehicles valued at ₦20 million, with replacement every four years
It was gathered that in announcing the repeal, Governor Otti described the package as unsustainable and out of step with the economic realities facing Abians.
“Leadership is not about enriching yourself after office, it is about protecting the people’s resources,” Otti said, adding that “At a time when citizens are grappling with rising cost of living, public funds should go to roads, schools, hospitals, security, and job creation, not to maintain luxury benefits for former public office holders.”
The governor argued that the lifetime obligations placed an unnecessary financial burden on the state treasury. With Abia, like many other states, facing pressure to pay salaries, fund infrastructure, and improve healthcare delivery, the administration said it could no longer justify benefits that far exceed what is obtainable in most civil service pension schemes.
The decision has drawn widespread praise on social media and among groups in the state.
Commentators described it as “putting the people first” and urged other states to review similar laws that guarantee generous post-office perks.
“History remembers leaders who choose service over privilege,” one resident in Umuahia told reporters, continuing “Whether you support his politics or not, this decision deserves recognition.”
Political analysts are also of the view that several states across Nigeria operate versions of the former governors’ benefits law, many of them passed toward the end of an administration.
Critics have long argued that such laws divert scarce resources and create a two-tier system where former political office holders receive better welfare than retirees in the public service.
Ikpeazu, who governed Abia for eight years under the Peoples Democratic Party, has not issued a public response to the repeal as of press time.
Governor Otti, who came into office on the platform of the Labour Party, has positioned fiscal discipline as a central pillar of his administration.
Since assuming office, he has focused on clearing pension arrears, rehabilitating roads in Aba and Umuahia, and revamping primary healthcare centers.
With the repeal, Abia joins a small but growing number of states reconsidering post-service entitlements for former governors.
Advocacy groups say they hope the move will spark a nationwide conversation about the cost of governance.
“May this inspire other states to review policies that place unnecessary pressure on taxpayers,” the governor’s supporters wrote in reactions online.
