I really don’t
get the fuss about people shouting and bothering themselves about Akpabio’s
bill being passed in the house. It must have been some kind of crazy ass snitch
dissatisfied with his boss and decided to pay back by giving out details to the
press. The bill that the governor of Akwa Ibom sent to the rubber stamp House
of Assembly
to pass which will make him eligible to receive pension worth into
hundreds of millions of Naira after he has left office is one of such that
continues to show how corruption has mortified our humanity. As a leader, you
would expect that much of the work being done would be selfless and patriotic. You
would expect that public office holders after they are retired would be accessible to everyone, sharing wisdom and word of knowledge with community
leaders, youth and the common man, just like the case of the Yar’Adua’s and
Jakande and Awolowo.
What do we
have now? Retired rulers with heavily fortified mansions where they aim to or
still rule through their stooges placed in power after they are gone. According
to Sahara Reporters, “The Akwa Ibom House of Assembly on Monday passed into
law, the Former Governor and Deputy Governor’s Pension Bill 2014 into law — a
legislative work that will see the ex-governors of the state earn millions of
naira for every of their petty needs after leaving office. According to the
bill, which Akpabio sent to the House on 15th May 2014 with a mandate that it
must be passed before 1st June 2014, the governor will receive pension for life
at the rate of his current salary, which translates to N26.7million. Similarly,
his deputy, Mrs. Valerie Ibe, will earn an annual pension of N25.3m.”
Even civil
servants that actually serve the nation don’t enjoy these kinds of benefits; it
leaves a sour taste to the mouth. The wealth of the state is not enough to be
stolen during the politician’s reign; it has to also be legally re-directed to
the politician’s coffers after he has milked the state dry. The minimum wage of
civil servants is 18k and yet some states are not even paying it, claiming that
they don’t have enough money to pay such wages. Yet they have enough to line up
their pockets even after retirement.
I am not surprised
that no one is talking. Labour, leaders of thought, legislators and Akwa
Ibomites; the man has been known to silent critics in the state and a lot of mysterious
death yet to be uncovered by the police litters the table of the commissioner of
police in the state. The governor whose governorship mandate is still in the
court of law and has been adjourned for more than 2 years now is a rogue and
should be treated as such. The flippancy of such character, usually exhibited
by most public holders cannot be judged on face value, it is deeply rooted in
the citizen’s dormancy and socio-religious colouration of everyday living.
We are going
to witness even more odoriferous attitude from other governors when they see
that this crook gets away with his’. I would have said ‘may God deliver us from
their grip’ but then I realize that that’s what we tend to do, sigh, put it all
on God and go back to our daily life.
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