By Ogochukwu Isioma
The Delta State Government on Tuesday said Governor Ifeanyi Okowa did not sign any new law approving jumbo pay and other allowances as pensions for ex-governors.
State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu at a news conference in Asaba, debunked the rumours making the rounds in some sections of the media, noting that the pension law for ex-governors have been in place in the state since 2005.
He pointed out that the only time the Delta House of Assembly effected minor changes in the law was in 2019 when the State Parliament amended the law to include the late Prince Sam Obi who was acting Governor between Nov. 10, 2010 and Jan. 10, 2011.
Aniagwu challenged the purveyors of the fake news to provide the date the law was passed by the House and when it was signed by the state governor.
According to him, “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.
“The Assembly sits in the open, 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 the social media to make it look as if we are signing in 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,” he said.
The Information Commissioner commended journalists in the state for their objective reporting of activities of the state government and urged them to continue extending same hand of fellowship to the incoming administration.
“Deltans believed that Sheriff Oborevwori is a man that has what it takes to do more and sustain the legacies of Okowa and that it was time to reward the PDP administration and so they voted massively for Oborevwori.
“For those who lost we have extended the olive branch to them to join us in building a much more stronger Delta but instead of doing that they have started telling stories to diminish the hard earned reputation of this administration and especially that of our governor,” Aniagwu added.
