By Francis Ewherido
For personal reasons I have recused myself from writing about the Delta State Government, especially in the last seven years. I do not want to be misunderstood, especially now that the governor is a Vice Presidential Candidate in the next election. But something has snapped in my head and I need to put that self-imposed rule aside temporarily.
My father died in 1988 without getting his entitlements. It had nothing to do with the government though. A few individuals just wanted to play God. Like my father, most of them have gone the way of all mortals. The delay in the payment of his entitlements could have had enormous consequences if my eldest brother did not have the foresight to save part of his stipend for the rainy day. My two brothers and I would have dropped out of the university until my father’s entitlements were paid in 1990 or thereabout.
That is partly why I am very angry with the current predicament of pensioners in Delta State. It is not peculiar to Delta State. Pensioners are being owed all over the country and it did not start today. But Deltans are my people, some of them might be relatives or family friends. Some are sick, while others cannot pay their children’s fees, rents and meet other commitments anymore. Some, like my father, will get their gratuity posthumously.
When I heard about the blame game by officials of the Delta State government, as a result of the demonstration of pensioners in Asaba, the Delta State Capital, I was scandalised or better put in Warri language, “the nut for my head loose.” Instead of finding solutions to the problem, they are passing the buck. The explanation that the pensioners are former local government staff makes it even more annoying. What is the difference between local government and state governments in Nigeria? But for one or two states it is an open secret that state governments take local governments’ allocations and give them just enough to operate. The local government chairmen then divert the money left to build “country homes,” hotels and petrol stations. That is all they know how to do. I challenge those chairmen who have any tangible projects they executed for their people that are commensurate with the allocations they got to publish their report card stating their allocations and the projects they executed.
In addition, there is a commissioner for local government affairs, what is his schedule of duties? Does it not include ensuring that the local governments serve their people well? These Delta State government officials are annoying some of us. They can claim that the pensioners are former local government staff. Yes, we know that the penis is different from the scrotal sack, but can you draw the boundary? Can you draw a difference between state governments and local governments even with the new era of financial autonomy of local governments? When you were having sex with a prostitute, it did not occur to you that she was a prostitute. Now she is pregnant for you, you realise she is a prostitute. It is fine to take local government money, but you shirk responsibility when you need to support them. The responsibility of the government is to provide solutions not give excuses. By the way, I assume that all former staff of the Delta State Government have been paid their entitlements and only local government employees were demonstrating. If not, pay all of Delta State Government retirees have been paid, these government officials should stop this childish behaviour. Can these government officials work without pay?
Children of the peasant farmers, those who went to school with bare feet, people who were born into crushing poverty, children of the poorest of the poor and orphans get into positions in Nigeria and instead of lifting people out of poverty by providing good governance and creating an enabling environment, they push more people into poverty. The annoying thing is that many of us from humble backgrounds completely forget where we are coming from once we get into positions where we can touch lives. Only foolish people forget their antecedents. That is partly why Nigeria is in this mess.
On a final note, some of you pensioners demonstrating are the same people who were hiding people’s files, removing important documents from people’s files, collecting bribes before signing documents, extorting struggling contractors and collecting illegal levies from students while in service. I know you now know the bitter taste of man’s inhumanity to man. Wherever you are, be good to people so that you will be remembered for good deeds.
ASUU Strike
I wrote on the ASUU strike about a month ago. Then, we heard that the President had given matching orders to the Minister of Education that the issues should be resolved within two weeks so that university students can resume, it was a welcome news. The Minister of Labour was also told to recuse himself from negotiations concerning the ASUU strike. Shortly after, the presidential spokesman, Shehu Garba, came out to say that the president did not give such an ultimatum of two weeks to resolve the strike. So what did the president say? Things are getting more complicated. At the time of writing the Nigerian Labour Congress was on a two-day demonstration in support of ASUU. The situation can get worse than this.
Meanwhile, week after week, top government officials’ assault us with photos of their children graduating in foreign universities while Nigerian universities are closed and parents wake up every day so see their children rotting away at home. The photos of the Speaker of the House of Representatives attending a leadership course in Harvard rankled many Nigerians because of the timing. Even if they need to pretend, government officials should show empathy to the governed. This misstep has diminished the great achievements he made in Surulere Federal Constituency, which he represents, especially in last four years. Typical of the Gbajabiamila I know, he has since apologised.
Unfortunately in a few months’ time, some of these parents and students will collect N2,000 and sell their votes by voting for the same people who put them in this woe. They justify it that it is their share of the national cake. Na who swear for us?
I have been thinking, if all top government officials had their children in public universities in Nigeria, would this strike have lingered for so long? Not likely; they would have found a way around it. Can we come up with laws to that effect? Forget it, it will not see the light of the day. In the UK, most of the best equipped hospitals are owned by the government. That is where the queen, prime minister, other top government functionaries and regular Britons go to. That is partly why they are in top shape. We are in urgent need of reforms.
