Okowa dismisses claim on approval of jumbo packages for ex-governors in Delta

The Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has denied that he approved jumbo salary and other benefits to former governors and their deputies in the state.

The governor’s clarification followed reports on social media that he had signed a new law that made provision for mouth-watering entitlements for ex-governors.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, the governor noted that the pension law for the governors was passed in 2005, adding that the State House of Assembly only made minor revisions to the statute in 2019 to accommodate the late Prince Sam Obi who served as interim governor between November 10, 2010, and January 10, 2011.

He challenged those behind the news to provide the date the law was passed by the House and when it was signed.

The statement read: “You are all aware that for any law passed by the State House of Assembly that the governor assents to, we don’t do it in secret.

READ ALSO: Gov Okowa justifies establishment of three varsities in Delta, slams critics

“The Assembly sits in the open and deliberates on both first, second, and third readings on any of the Bills before they are passed in the full glare of the media and members of the public.

“Before the governor assents to any Bill we do invite the media to brief them as to the import of such law and all of you are aware that Okowa did not sign any new law with respect to Governor’s pension.

“We did not sign any new law. What we have is an existing law that has been there before now. But just because they just want to talk and get at us, they are pushing it in social media to make it look as if we are signing in the new law to get home with new benefits and all that.

“Let them tell you the date the law was signed, they should also tell us when the House of Assembly considered the law and what was the debate like, and they should also tell us the people present when the law was allegedly signed.

“They know the truth but they just want to tell stories that are very much at variance with realities.”

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