Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state has signed into law the Fifth Amendment to the state’s pension bill which repeals the contentious 100 million Naira medical expenses for ex-governors and 50 million Naira medical allowance for former deputies.

The governor signed the latest amendment in Government House, Uyo.

The pension bill for former governors and deputy governors in Akwa Ibom State had attracted curious comments from the public, including a legal practitioner, George Eke, who advocated that the law be scrapped and a “Salary For Life” approach be adopted to allow those who have served to have benefits after their time in office.

The pension bill is a 16 year old law which came into existence in 1998 as a special grant for past state governors and their deputies .It was further amended in 1999 and adopted in 2000, 2007 and 2014 as pension bill.

Governor Akpabio explained that the contentious figures for medical allowance have been expunged from the new law while other aspects of the law remain intact. The repealed version, he said, has removed the ceiling on medical expenses for former governors and their deputies.