“If you speak the truth you will die. If you tell lies you will die. So I have chose to speak the truth and die” Senator Dino Melaye, Kogi West.
I find solace in Senator Dino’s daring remarks above, to express myself as a bonafide kogi indigene on the needless but lingering salary saga in kogi state. There is no doubt that the idea of the staff auditing and screening aimed at weeding the menace of ghost workers in kogi state by the present administration is a laudable one. The daring political will against the ghost workers cartel that has milked the state dry is a commendable one.
However, the unfolding events arising from the endless and directionless screening raises doubt whether the intention behind the screening was a genuine one for the benefit of genuine workers. Like late Prof Idachaba once said, “good intention is not good enough”.
Since the the beginning of the screening exercise in kogi state with about 10 months duration (the longest ever in the history of Nigeria), it has been confusion upon confusion. The first committee Chairman was sacked, another Chairman appointed, backup committee constituted, complaint and verification committee constituted with preliminary report submitted and resubmitted.
The members of the screening committee as rumored (yet to verify) are paid 10, 000 naira as daily allowances. If this is true how do you think the screening exercise will end?
The helpless and suffering staff were made to travel from all parts of the state to the Government House at various times and in the process some had accident resulting to death and permanent incapacitation as the case may be. I know of someone that used to act as our Imam that had accident on his way to Lokoja and in the process sustained fracture on his left thigh. Till date he can’t walk on his own. The man whom we know as a prayer warrior never hide his open prayers against those whose action and policies resulted to his incapacitation. If the operators of our state genuinely want meaningful progress, they must locate this man and seek for forgiveness and compensate him. If not……!
We were told by the present government in kogi state sometimes last year that “kogi state is sick, kogi state is cancerous, kogi state is on life support and intensive care” and all the problematized grammars.
It therefore beholds that the creative intervention of all and sundry is needed to move the state far away from the so called identified problems. Instead, what we are currently witnessing is a ONE -MAN that KNOWS ALL magic wind solutions. Unfortunately, this ONE-MAN approach is also compounded by the activities of the SYCOPHANTS, BOOTLICKERS and the e-rats ranting and calling the operators of the state all manners of misleading and ego massaging hailing names; “white lion”, “Godly politician” “wife of Godly politician” among others. Any attempt to engage the government with critical observation, suggestion and or advice contrary to praise singing wrongs, you will be marked for demolition using “arm twisting” approach. If not I cannot explain the obvious lacuna that:
1) Sabbatical staff in the university are rendered as “ghost”. This is hilarious! If we don’t know we should have ask with a simple phone call. It is a shame this is happening with the resultant negative image on our dear state and university.
2) Contract staff in the state owned tertiary institutions are rendered as “ghost”. This to me amount to lawlessness.
3) Staff on approved Study Leave With Pay (SLWP) with sponsorship from TETFUND spread across the foreign universities are rendered “ghost”. This is the most worrisome. The staff that TETFUND sponsored with millions of naira are rendered ghost in a university that is experiencing mass exodus of qualified manpower? The state government is merely giving these qualified needed manpower the platform not to to return to Nigeria or the institution.
4) Staff employed in 2015 are also rendered “ghost”. The state government rendered the “2015 employees” as ghost whereas the same state government recruited and is recruiting staff in 2016 and 2017 to the various state owned establishments and are being paid. If the 2015 employees are GHOST it means the 2016 and 2017 employees must be ANCESTORS and MASQUERADES respectively. This is unheard of and unthinkable!
5) Staff that are banking with Micro Finance Banks and the likes without BVN are rendered “ghost”. Are these banks not recognized by the CBN? Any prior notice by the state government against patronage of such banks? The answer is NO. I thought our slogan in the state is NEW DIRECTION where new things are suppose to be done rightly?
6) Staff who consecutively made withdrawal from their bank account outside their place of primary assignment are rendered “ghost”. The rural nature of kogi state is obvious. Very few LGAs in the state can boast of the branches of some of the notable banks in Nigeria located at their headquarters. For example staff from the LGA that shared boundary with Ekiti state and due to proximity, consecutively withdrew money from Ekiti state are also “ghost”. Come on…….how did the committee arrive at this laughable decision? “Deris God ooooo”
7) Staff some of whom are not even from Kogi state but mistakingly did not fill the space for their LGAs are rendered “ghost”. How can LGA becomes the basis of ghost or not for God sake? A simple phone call to the affected staff could have solve the problem if the intention of the screening was a genuine one.
8) Staff with conflicting Date of Birth are rendered “ghost”. Why not pick the one to the advantage of the government and move on? Lack of initiative or what?
9) Staff whose names were omitted during compilation of names for no fault of theirs are rendered “ghost”. Unjustifiable punishment meted at wrong persons who deserves apology from the government?
10) Staff whose file cannot be found are labeled “ghost”. Kai! Is it their fault? Does staff keep their files or their establishment?
All the above listed categories were made to travel to Lokoja for verification upon verifications and were presumably cleared with the 20TH DECEMBER, 2016 as deadline for payment as earlier promised by the Governor.
However, I was amazed when these genuine workers were not paid as promised and the Governor came on air that he has paid all genuine workers.
Haba! I thought those people praise singing our state helmsmen as “Godly politician” actually saw the Godliness before the sycophantic mimicking. I am not surprise that the staff who cannot bear the unbearable hardship took to the street few days ago in Lokoja and some other LGAs protesting against the inhuman treatment of nonpayment of their legitimate entitlements – salaries and pensions owed them as much as 10 months in arrears. One of my uncles told me yesterday that he has not receive a dime since January, 2016. The story is not different across the state.
Let me tell us categorically that strikes and industrial action are looming in all sectors of the state if the state government refuses to act very fast to solving this salary menace.
The question on the lips of kogites is; what happen to the 20 billion naira Bailout? What happens to the over 11 billion naira refund from the Paris Club debt cancellation, what happen to the monthly statutory federal allocation to the state oscillating between 2 to 3 billions naira? What happen to the IGR we were told has significantly improved to the tune of about a billion naira per month almost at the end of last year?
All the same it is not too late even though the irreparable damages might have been done to the life, moral, psyche and wellbeing of the kogi state workforce as a result of these meted hardship to settle the outstanding salaries without further delay.
The only way to show love to your love one is by telling him or her the truth and the truth we shall continue to tell before we may also be declared GHOST for speaking the truth.
This is the government that ought to be celebrated and supported by the youth. This is the government that with divine mandate probably to douse and solving the problems and the agitation for power shift that was threatening the fragile unity in the state. But the justifiable tangible policies, initiatives, and dynamic ideas that could warrant such support from all and sundry is still lacking at the moment.
Government is not run on social media. Action should speak louder than the voice. Support for government is not about e-ranting but constructive advice and suggestions. As Shakespeare said “Words are easy, like the wind; Faithful friends are hard to find.”
It is my sincere prayers that the stones we started cooking since January 2016 in Kogi state will begin to soften to give us hope in 2019. If not we are certainly going to cook the rice and beans we know will be done even though it may be tasteless at least we will not go hungry. After all taste is a matter of luxury!!!
God bless Kogi state!!!
– Dr Usman Ogbo, lectures at Kogi State University, Anyigba
