EXCLUSIVE: How Jonathan forced Akpabio to back down on scandalous pension law
Category: Nigerian National News
PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively exposed Mr. Akpabio’s plan to
pocket a staggering N200 million, among other scandalous perks after
leaving office in 2015.
It was pressure from President Goodluck Jonathan that forced the
profligate Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, to back down
on his scandalous pension law, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report.
A flustered Mr. Akpabio had last week said following nationwide
outcry, he was requesting the state assembly to immediately review the
law, with a view to expunging one of its obnoxious provisions.
“This is a democracy and you must listen to the voice of the people,”
Mr. Akpabio had said. “What I have decided to do, in consultation with
the state executive council, is to appeal to the house of assembly to
immediately expunge the obnoxious provision or that which is interpreted
to be obnoxious.”
Mr. Akpabio had indicated he would only expunge the provision of the
law which provided for N100 million medical allowance for ex-governors.
“I hope that will satisfy Nigerians,” he said.
He is, however, unwilling to give up his request for a mansion in Uyo
or Abuja and a demand for N12 million medical allowance for his wife.
Pressure from above
But a Presidency source, who cannot be named because he is not permitted to speak on the matter, said Mr. Jonathan was thoroughly embarrassed by the public outcry that greeted the controversial law.
But a Presidency source, who cannot be named because he is not permitted to speak on the matter, said Mr. Jonathan was thoroughly embarrassed by the public outcry that greeted the controversial law.
While Nigerians from all walks of life poured opprobrium on the
governor and members of the state’s rubber stamp assembly for initiating
and passing the law, the source said, Mr. Jonathan summoned Mr. Akpabio
to the Villa.
He said the President was particularly angry that at a time the
country was going through pressure over the kidnap of the Chibok girls
by Boko Haram insurgents, Mr. Akpabio’s outrageous pension law had
further dented the country’s image.
“Mr. President has been working hard to ensure the release of the
Chibok girls and to bring an end to Boko Haram insurgency amidst strong
public criticism,” the source said.
“It was shocking to know that the governor went ahead to sign the
bill into law when public outcry was at its height, thereby painting the
party and its leaders as being insensitive to the feelings of
Nigerians.
“You remember how people went on the social media to insult the
President and the first lady on the Chibok matter. The governor’s
pension law was one of the actions that was going to thoroughly
embarrass the government and the Peoples Democratic Party.
“That was why Mr. Akpabio was summoned to the Villa and asked to go
back and reverse the law. He was particularly directed to issue a
statement to reverse the law and that was what he did.
“No President dead or alive in Nigeria is entitled to such retirement
perks. It was totally unacceptable and Mr. President didn’t minced
words about it.”
A minister’s veiled criticism
PREMIUM TIMES further learnt that the call by the Minister of Finance
and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on
Nigerian governors to account for the funds they have received from the
Federation Accounts was a veiled criticism of Mr. Akpabio.
It was one of the strongest criticisms ever made by Mr. Jonathan’s
administration against some governors, who are considered “untouchable”
especially in the ruling party.
Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, had while delivering a convocation lecture at
Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State penultimate Saturday said
Akwa Ibom and Rivers states received more than $3.1 billion as total
federal revenue allocation in 2013.
The minister said Akwa Ibom State got about $1.7 billion (N260
billion) from the Federation Account during the year, while Rivers State
got about $1.5 billion (N230 billion).
She insisted that the total amount received by the two oil producing
states was about half of Ghana’s entire $6.4 billion budget.
Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala also explained that the two states, ranked among
the top ten highest recipients of the federal allocations during the
year totaling over N1.56 trillion.
The other top recipients included Delta State – N209 billion, or $1.3
billion, Bayelsa -N173 billion, or $1.1billion, Lagos -N168billion, or
$1.1billion, Kano- N140 billion, or $900 million and Katsina -N103
billion, or $700 million.
The list also included Oyo State -N100 billion, or $600 million,
Kaduna-N97 billion, or $600 million, and Borno-N94 billion, or $600
million.
The minister had said that these were conservative figures, as the
data do not include their internally generated revenues, IGR, which are
often significantly substantial enough to rival the allocations.
Further analysis of the allocations, the minister said, would show
that revenue allocations to these during the year dwarfed the budgets of
countries like Liberia -$433 million, Gambia -$210 million, and Benin
Republic- $1.47 billion.
On a per capita income basis, which consists of the quantum of
revenue per population, she said Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Delta states
were the three top recipients of allocations from the Federation
Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC.
According to her, Bayelsa got a total of 84,500, or $545, Akwa Ibom got N55, 600 or $360, while Delta got N42,000 or $270.
When compared with the per capita incomes of neighbouring countries,
the minister said many of the states receive more than what Ghana, Benin
Republic, Liberia and Gambia receive.
While Ghana gets $255, Benin Republic gets $146, Liberia gets $103, and Gambia; $117.
Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala challenged Nigerians to call their governors to account for the huge resources they have been receiving.
A governor’s gluttonous retirement perks
PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively exposed Mr. Akpabio’s plan to pocket a
staggering N200 million, among other scandalous perks after leaving
office in 2015.
The governor, reputed for wasting his state’s oil money and for
making outrageous donations across the country while millions of his own
people wallow in poverty and disease, had attempted to secretly pass
the scandalous law.
But following the report, Nigerians from all walks of life had
strongly criticized him and the state’s rubber stamp assembly for
passing the law, which would further impoverish the people of his state.
Initially, Mr. Akpabio scrambled to defend his action, buying prime
time appearances on leading TV networks and sponsoring articles in
national dailies to justify why he and his wife must live in
mind-boggling opulence for the rest of their lives in a hugely indebted
state where millions can’t find jobs.
A presenter in one of the private television stations, said to be a
major beneficiary of Mr. Akpabio’s largesse, had come on air to defend
the law, saying the governor was right to take any amount as pension
“because he has done so much for the people.”
While Mr. Akpabio has rescinded part of the obnoxious law, many
Nigerians have questioned the integrity and proprietary of the campaigns
earlier carried out by those who saw nothing wrong in the outrageous
retirement perks.
Attempts to speak with the Special Adviser to the President on Media,
Rueben Abati and the Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Doyin
Okukpe, failed as they would not pick calls to their mobile telephones.
Texts messages sent to Mr. Abati were also not replied.
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