The Abia State House of Assembly has approved a law abolishing the Abia State Governor’s and Deputy Governor’s Pensions.
The bill, entitled ‘H.A.B 11: The Abia State Governor’s and Deputy Governor’s Pensions Law Repeal Bill 2024′, was introduced by Mr Okoro Uchenna Kalu, the Majority Leader and member representing the Arochukwu constituency in the House.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Emmanuel Emeruwa, announced the bill’s approval and praised his colleagues for their understanding and cooperation in abolishing the law.
Emeruwa emphasized that the parliamentarians’ actions were consistent with the desires of the majority.
The Bill’s sponsor, Uchenna Okoro Kalu, stated when making the motion that the Bill was timely because it would assist decrease the cost of governance in the State and release cash that would be utilized in the development of the State for the benefit of the vast majority of Abians.
The House, however, did not divulge the details of the monies involved in the abolished pension laws.
Meanwhile, the Abia State House of Assembly has approved ‘H.A.B 9: The Faith-Based and Private Colleges of Nursing Sciences Establishment Bill 2024’ for a second reading.
The Bill, sponsored by Mr Emeka Obioma, a member of the Umuahia South constituency, was referred to the House Committee on Health, which will have a public hearing and report back to the House.
The State House of Assembly also took up and passed the ‘HAB 10: Abia State Cocoa Development and Marketing Board Bill, 2024’, which was sponsored by Deputy Speaker Austin Meregini.
Meanwhile, Adamu Garba, a former presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has declared that Nigeria’s worth is in consumption rather than production.
According to him, anyone who discusses consumption vs production does not grasp the dynamics essential for a country to be productive.
Recall that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the previous general election, insisted on moving Nigeria from consumption to production.
However, Garba disagreed, stating that the country must generate value in its consumption and that individuals must spend money.
He said:
“Nigerian demography is green and supposed to be an asset, but it is gradually turning into a liability.
“Young people’s propensity to save money as opposed to spending is higher. Young people have to spend what they earn for value to be created.
“The truth is, Nigerian value is in its consumption, not production. Whoever is talking about consumption to production doesn’t understand the dynamics required for a country to be productive. Our HDI (Human Development Index) is pretty low, and you need about two decades to build a strong HDI. We don’t have that luxury of time now.
“We must create value in our consumption. Guys must spend that money.
“Another issue is that our younger demography doesn’t want to enroll in military service. This is not good. We need a large military, up to a million-fighting force, between now and 2030 to build a force that is capable of fighting and winning. This is needed to protect our supply lines and guarantee the flow of food and energy we need.
“Nigeria must grow to be an effective military power to continue to protect the interests of the hundreds of millions of Nigerians who will need the food and energy we need to be stable and grow as a nation.
Young Nigerians need to join the military in droves. This is critical for the future of Nigeria.”
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