I commend the pensioners and by extension civil servants in Oyo state and indeed the entire citizenry of the state for voting Engr. Seyi Makinde as their governor.
Oyo state is indeed lucky to have a man like Engr Seyi Makinde at the helm of affairs, a man who understands there is hunger and poverty ravaging the face of the state, courtesy of the previous administration. Makinde is anxious to quickly arrest the situation.
This is an important lesson for my people in Kogi state. They must remain resolute, determined to kick out the emperor from Lugard House, the emperor who has no feelings for their welfare – 38-consecutive months of unpaid salaries in a state that is essentially civil service state. Even three months unpaid salaries sound wicked to good conscience.
Regular payment of workers salaries should not be seen by any myopic governor in Nigeria as a favour. It is certainly not. It is obligatory, a sort of constitutional right of these workers.
For this painful reason, Kogi state has consistently being in the news for the wrong reason. Only two days back, a woman planned her own kidnap to generate money for her pensioner husband, a staff of Kogi state. Let us not blame the woman much, a desperate situation demands a desperate answer. Shall we talk about the deaths arising from non-payment of workers salaries.
Yet, there was Bello in January 26, 2016 promising Kogites during his inaugural speech that, “…no worker under my watch will go hungry…” Yes sir, today workers are not only going hungry but are indeed dying, starting from Edward Soje, Aisha – the young primary six girl who died in a place called Gboloko, across the River Niger because the father can’t afford to drug, because he was being owed many months unpaid salaries.
The cases of the two customary court judges remain fresh. One of the judges was hurriedly discharged from Abuja National Hospital because he could not meet up with his financial obligation to the hospital.
These are the few reported cases in the media. As I write, there are many pensioners of Kogi state origin who are bedridden not because they are truly sick but because they are hungry and hunger has induced sickness. Yet, some people in government offices are playing politics. The other days I got a call that some permanent secretaries now go to work on Okada.
That is what Kogi state has been reduced to under GYB. I must quickly add this, l have nothing, practically nothing against Yahaya Bello, whom I consider as a younger brother but I am utterly angry with him for his style of bad governance. No sensible person will want to associate with a failure, which is what his government represents.
In any case, any governor who does not consider regular and prompt payment of workers salaries a priority must be disgracefully voted out. It is not an issue for political consideration.
The electorate in those states must be ruthless in their decision in sending such inane governor away and I gleefully welcome Oyo state into the class “common sense state.” Would Kogi state join this enviable class of “common sense”? It remains to be seen come December 2019.
– Bernard Balogun, a social commentator, wrote from Abuja.
