Mr. Uwem Udoma
JUNE 1, 2014 BY ETIM EKPIMAHA former Deputy Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Uwem Udoma, tells ETIM EKPIMAH that if the new pension bill passed by Akwa Ibom Assembly is signed into law by Governor Godswill Akpabio, the law will be challenged in court. Udoma belongs to a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state led by Umana Okon Umana
How do you see the amendment of the 2006 pension law in Akwa Ibom State?
The generality of Akwa Ibom people feel the present amendment of the 2006 law is very atrocious. In fact, we call for it to be rejected. The law has been passed; it has not yet been signed by the governor. When it is signed by the governor, it becomes a law.
Beyond calling for its rejection, are there steps you are contemplating towards stopping it?
We have two ways to go about it. The incoming government can amend the law or repeal it, or we can go to court to challenge it. Any law that is not accepted by the people can never stand. You make laws for Akwa Ibom people, the Akwa Ibom people were not made for the law.
I see a lot of greed in the framing of this particular bill. You spend up to N350m on single individual; that is about N1.4bn for a year; and N1.4bn a year is almost equal to some states allocation for a month.
The government can do a lot with N1.4bn. If you are paying four people N1.4bn a year and we are 3.9m people in Akwa Ibom; how are you going to take care of the remaining 3.8m people if only four take N1.4bn, it is outrageous. It is not nice, at all.
What other grouse do you have with the bill?
The exclusivity clause in pension is not acceptable. If it is the pension law, it should be enjoyed by everybody, but this present amendment of the pension law 2006 that has been passed into law in 2014 has excluded so many people. Like the former governor of old Cross River State, Mr. Donald Etiebet, has been excluded, former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Uffot Ekaette, has been excluded, the former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Nsima Ekere, has been excluded, the present Deputy Governor, Valerie Ebe, as well as former deputy governor, Mr. Michael Udofia, has also been excluded.
In pension, you do not exclude anybody. You can only earn pension if you are up to 10 years in government service. This means if you have been working as a public servant, you can earn pension, but if you are an elected office holder, after your tenure of office, it is severance gratuity that you get.
But because the governors are chief executive officers of the state, they tend to make this law so that they can safeguard their lives. Coming through the back door to pass this law shows that this government is self-serving; the government is not protecting the interest of the people, at all.
In fact, we are wasting a lot of funds that we should use to invest in agriculture, which we should use in establishing industries that the government promised, at least, each in the 31 local government areas of the state. The government is not doing anything about that.
What alternative use do you think the amount can be put into?
Again this N1.4bn can be used to provide security of lives and property of the Akwa Ibom people. There is a lot of insecurity in Akwa Ibom. It is just one man that the bulk stops at his table, that is the governor. We urge the governor to go a step further by practising what he is preaching. If the governor wants the state to be peaceful come 2015, the state is going to be peaceful.
Taking you back to the pension law, the Speaker, Mr. Sam Ikon, said governors’ pensions in Rivers and Lagos states were higher than the one just approved by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. Is this not true?
It is not so. The bill is everywhere. That of Akwa Ibom State is almost 300 per cent higher than any other state in the country. I can say that as a former lawmaker. It is higher, it is outrageous; we do not accept it, at all. He is not correct.
Culled from Punch
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