Governor Akpabio had sent a bill to state legislators that will enable him get an annual pension benefit of N200 million.

The Akwa Ibom State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has threatened a mass protest aimed at stopping the State House of Assembly from approving the proposed Governors and Deputy Governors’ Pension Bill 2014 sent by the state governor, Godswill Akpabio, for passage into law.

Apart from the proposal of a whooping N200 million in annual pay as pension benefits, Mr. Akpabio is also demanding other benefits, including a new house, brand new cars, furniture and luxurious living for the rest of his life after exiting office in May 2015.

News on the controversial bill sent to the State Assembly on May 15 for accelerated passage into law was exclusively reported by PREMIUM TIMES.

The governor had asked the lawmakers to see that the law, which the NLC describes as outrageous, comes into force on June 1, 2014.

The state chairman of NLC, Unyime Usoro, describing the controversial Bill as surprising and outrageous, said on Sunday the proposal was indicative of the high level of greed and insensitivity among the country’s leaders.

Mr. Usoro said the workers’ union is determined to stop the lawmakers from going ahead to deliberate and approve the draft law.

“We are going to march to the State House of Assembly on Monday to register our disgust for the Bill”, he said. “We will be going there with one message against passing the Bill. If the House would insist on going ahead, the NLC would have no option than to insist on them first approving the payment of the outstanding pensions to all public servants in the state. We will resist whatever action the Assembly is going to take outside stopping the Bill.”

He said since 2007, public servants in Akwa Ibom State have not been paid their harmonised pension entitlements in line with the Nigerian constitution.

Even with implementation of the harmonised remuneration package and minimum wage for workers nationwide, the Godswill Akpabio administration has consistently refused to do the same for workers in the state, he said.

Most of the workers who put in about 35 years in service before retiring in line with the provisions of the country’s constitution are yet to be paid their pension allowances.

Mr. Usoro said workers in the state were shocked that the government would suddenly send to the State Assembly a bill hurriedly put together to satisfy the governor, who he pointed out, is not under any financial pressure.

“The NLC in the state is surprised that the state government is doing this. It is simply outrageous. It is only reflective of the high level of greed and insensitivity by the country’s leaders. I don’t know why the governor should display so much insecurity.

“It is unthinkable that a person in the position of the governor, who can even do without the pension, can do a thing like this. Other states have done similar things, but this simply outrageous. We will fight it by all means to ensure that the right thing is done,” the NLC Chairman said.

He said if the governor, who the NLC believes does not have any reason to fear for the future, has taken steps to secure himself against any eventuality, what happens to the average worker who has not been paid his entitlements.

“What kind of eventuality will make the governor demand N200million benefits for himself every year if not greed and insensitivity to the people’s interest,” he said.

The Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, CSJ, Eze Onyekpere, also described the proposed law as outrageous and pure madness, saying the workers and members of civil societies should mobilise immediately to stop it from being passed into law.

“I am not from Akwa Ibom State. But, if it is not stopped, other states would copy the wrong thing, and one can imagine the implication on the states’ economy a few years down the line.

“If Akpabio takes as much as N200 million per annum, what it means is the even his predecessor, Victor Attah, would be earning as much.

“Considering that both of them are not in a hurry to depart this world in the next 20 to 30 years. Imagine that every four or eight years a governor leaves and is paid that much. If Akwa Ibom State has about five to six former governors, one can calculate the cost on the State.

“In line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, we just cannot allow these things to continue. We must fight it,” Mr. Onyekpere said.