The Nation Newspaper

Tag: strikes

  • The he-goat and the ram: Reality of ASUU strikes

    The he-goat and the ram: Reality of ASUU strikes

    • By Jeff Godwin Doki

    Africa is a continent where animal stories are sometimes told just for the sheer entertainment afforded by the description of the amusing antics of various animals. Such stories are usually told to audiences and children. But behind such entertainment lurks some wit and valuable didactic lessons. Let me share one of such stories to convince of my veracity. One day, in the animal kingdom, the he-goat had diarrhoea and discharged its excrement all over the barn. The entire barn became very untidy as a result of the he-goat’s dirty business. When all the animals sat in judgement, they unanimously agreed that, for its crime, the he-goat should be given a severe blow at which all the sheep roared with joy and jubilation. Some three months later, the ram also wrecked great havoc in the barn. With its powerful horns, the ram tore the roof of the barn apart leaving all the sheep and goats without shelter. At judgement, the animals decided that the ram should be kicked at which all the goats in the animal kingdom had a good laugh.

    Lesson: at one animal’s misfortune there is joy at another there is laughter but misfortune is common to all animals.  Now, let me go away from the animal kingdom and pluck the fruit of my story.

     The federal government has over the years treated ASUU so monstrously. From the regime of Babangida to Obasanjo, to that of Yar’Adua, to Jonathan to Buhari and Tinubu, it has been the same drama of sham, indifference and disdain. Promises were made but not fulfilled, negotiations began and were stopped only to begin again and stop.  For the past three decades, no Nigerian leader has dealt with the ASUU- FGN agreement seriously, sincerely, honestly and honourably. From 1992 to date, the rot in the university system has continued unabated; from 1992 to date the university teachers have embarked on several warning strikes and sometimes indefinite strikes all in an attempt to press the government to tread the path of honour by respecting its promises.

    Lamentably, the major stakeholders in public universities namely parents and students do not understand the reasons why public universities have been the target of government animosity. The reasons are many and varied. One, the university is a place of intellectual workers whose primary duties are to research, teach, engage in community work, seek, find and tell the truth at all times, even at great hazard. Two, it is only the intellectual that has the capacity to put Nigeria first, to love Nigeria, to insist that education is a right and not a privilege. Three, it is only the intellectual that has faith in the capacity of the people to change their lives, to demonstrate that people are subjects and not just passive objects of development, to insist on certain minimum professional ethics and democratic principles, to reject a society based on corruption, to reject the rule of fear, to reveal that the children of ordinary peasants and workers have a right to free education, to insist that it is the primary responsibility of any responsible government to provide education for all its citizens.

    Read Also: INEC to conduct mock accreditation in Kogi, Imo, Bayelsa

    One can go on and on and on.

    Again, it is important for citizens to realize that in Nigeria, as in other parts of the world, our lives are a battlefield on which is fought a continuous battle between the forces that are pledged to confirm our humanity and those forces determined to dismantle it.  It is these two forces that are in conflict every day and everywhere. They are with us in schools, in offices, at the market, in the churches/ mosques and even in our homes. In simple terms, there are two classes in society: the rich and the poor, the ruler and the ruled, those who pull and those who are meant to do the pulling.  On the other side of the divide is ASUU, a union made up of a breed of university scholars who are bright, confident, original, honest and whose simple lifestyle is a stunning contrast to the dominant imported culture associated with leaders who are the oppressors. But unfortunately, Nigerian students and their parents do not seem to understand ASUU and its struggle. For them, ASUU is an intransigent, strike-prone and insensitive union. It is for this reason that many stakeholders in the education sector (especially students and parents) have consistently refused to show sympathy and solidarity with ASUU.

    When we look back, we discover that in the 1970s and 1980s Nigerian students fully identified with ASUU’s struggle because they knew that such a struggle was for the general good of the education sector. But today we don’t seem to have a vibrant union of Nigerian students. What we have is a group of young men and women balkanized along all the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. What we have is an association of young men and women who are acolytes of the political class. But more painful is the fact that what we have today is a generation of young men and women without focus or vision, a group of young people given to modern vices like drug addiction, sexual abuse, cultism, examination malpractice, debauchery, hedonism and shenanigans.

     Who takes the take blame? As a country, Nigeria has continued to persevere under the burden of bad governance, political charlatanism and, most painfully, the deleterious role of the political class. And the reason for this is simple: for the past three or four decades, those who are charged with the duty of guarding public patrimony have deliberately abdicated their responsibilities. The Nigerian nation has continued to travel on reverse gear because its journey is bedevilled by untruths, deceit and thwarted dreams and desires. Honesty, honour, truth and humanistic sympathy have all but taken leave of the ruling class and the citizens have been reduced to mere playthings in the hands of the rulers.

    One thing is clear: there is a deliberate plan by the Nigerian ruling elite to destroy public universities and this fact is evident in the number of private universities owned by members of the ruling class or their cronies. There are more than 120 private universities competing with only about 62 public ones. How many Nigerian parents can afford tuition fees in private universities?

    And here is the big irony. A time there was when tuition fees in public universities was less than N50,000 and many indigent students could not afford it. Some dropped out of school. Many missed their examinations and other academic activities on campus. Today, in some federal universities the new tuition fees is about N250 thousand or more. Turn everywhere; some aggrieved students have carried placards in protest on many campuses. Many universities have re-opened for academic activities but the students are yet to resume studies because they cannot afford the new charges. The huge irony is that many parents are supporting the protests led by their children.  But the action of the student-protesters has raised a number of questions. Where were the students and their parents when ASUU embarked on series of strikes to compel the government to behave more honourably? Was it not the same students who poured invectives on ASUU members during the last but one strike saying that ASUU was an insensitive and callous union?

    Was it not the same students who were urged by former minister, Adamu Adamu to take ASUU to court for keeping them at home for far too long? Was it not Nigerian parents who accused ASUU of unnecessarily keeping their wards at home? Many questions could be asked. But again, let me conclude with the proverbial wisdom from the animal kingdom: ASUU is the he -goat, students and their parents are the ram. May we always remember that life is a wheel and misfortune is unstable. In the words of Sophocles, the Greek tragedian, ‘no one should count himself happy until he is dead free from sorrow’.

    • Jeff is a writer and professor of Comparative Literature.

  • This season of strikes

    The months before general elections are always hectic for politicians, their staffers and other associated groups or individuals. However, nobody in this class bears more pressure than current political office holders, especially when there is a plan to re-contest their positions. In this respect, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has been in the thick of it over the past few months, coming under pressure from multiple fronts in the scramble to utilize the political leverage of impending elections.

    The unions have been at the forefront of the barrage of demands that have been targeted at Aso Rock in the past few months. On the subject of unions in Nigeria, there are three major groups that periodically dominate headlines, because of their frequent use of strike action as an instrument to force dialogue and negotiation with the government. These groups are the labour and trade unions, under the general guidance of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC; the education sector unions, with the most notable being the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU; and the many unions of the oil and gas industry, with their notoriety for painfully timed strikes.

    Without hinting at any political motive or calculation by these different groups, there have been demands made, with accompanying strike action and/or the threat of strike action by all of these groups in the past few weeks. On September 26, the general labour unions embarked on a short-lived strike over their demand for a new minimum wage of N50,000, an improvement on the present N18,000. It took the threat of a second strike for the government to confirm the resolution made for a minimum wage of N30,000, after negotiations with the union. Despite this, the resolution still has more hurdles to scale before it is made effective and there are no guarantees for similar action in the near future. Meanwhile, little has been said about how this will be funded.

    On cue from the relative success of the labour action, ASUU has also made good on its threats and warnings by going on a nationwide strike of its own that began on November 4. ASUU’s demands are related to the implementation of government agreements on educational reform and other measures that had been canvassed since 2009. ASUU also opposes the plans for an education bank, in its belief that it is not feasible in the Nigerian system. Despite several meetings with the government, the strike continues, one month on, and the body language of the union shows that it is prepared to continue with the strike indefinitely.

    Perhaps, most undesirable at this time is the proposed plan by some unions in the downstream petroleum sector to shut down their activities. Nigerians have been the victims of this kind of ill-timed action on many occasions, denting holiday plans of many through the scarcity of premium motor spirit, PMS, or skyrocketing costs of transport that accompanies such scarcity. This time, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketing Association, DAPPMA, is driving the strike plans and mounting pressure on the government to make payment of subsidy arrears that oil marketers have been after for some time. Although other unions in the industry have claimed not to be in support of strike action, the potential impact on Nigerians is still cause for concern, both for the citizenry and for the government.

    In discussing the timing of these actions by the different groups, it is difficult to ignore the political connotations at a time so close to elections. One imagines that the heads of these unions would have contemplated the contribution of their action to public perception of the present administration. In the same vein, the government’s representatives will be constrained to factor in the implications of non-agreement with the unions at this time, especially in respect to potential public lash out against the government. Thus, the intended or unintended shade of impending elections on these different negotiations may lead to agreements on unrealistic terms, which will come back to haunt the country.

    The question really is whether these unions are being responsible in their demands and the timing of the demands. Although many of their claims and premises are reasonable in their merit, there is a need to manage expectations based on the current economic realities on ground. When labour forced the government to make a commitment to increase the minimum wage to N30,000, not a few analysts and commentators pointed out the difficulty the government would have implementing the resolution. Whereas, there is also the subject of state governments whose economic lot differ widely, and many of which are failing to meet their commitments based on the current N18,000 minimum wage.

    In order to forestall a situation where government makes commitments it knows it cannot fulfil, the unions and other pressure groups that are actively working to obtain financial and other commitments from the government have to be more responsible in their negotiations and use of strike action to force the hand of government. Although global oil prices have appreciated in comparison to preceding years, government expenditure is rising just as fast, if not faster. The bloated civil service gulps in large amounts, just as the present form of what many still call oil subsidy.

    Right now, there is a scramble by pressure groups like the different unions to obtain government commitment, even while the government is scrambling to fulfil multiple obligations in time for elections in 2019. The atmosphere is ripe for demands of all kinds and there may be consequences in the long run, either for this administration in its second term or for a successor who would have to deal with the agreements that the government is entering into right now. Even now, the commitments and missteps of past administrations still dog those in power now.

    Unions are pressure groups, and the classic role of pressure groups is to influence government policy and decision-making, in line with current realities, needs and possibilities. They should not adopt a narrow view from the lens of their particular industry or area of focus, but are responsible for a holistic contemplation of circumstances and the development of useful and helpful solutions that helps the government to develop plans that cater for their sectional needs. Pressure groups are expected to contribute to governance, and not just to make endless demands birthed in the microcosm of their sectional needs.

    If the oil marketers, for instance, can appreciate the difficulty the government faces in meeting N800 billion in subsidy debts, while trying to ensure unbroken supply, service foreign debts and meet other recurrent (and rising) expenses, then maybe they may take more measured tones in their demands and work with the government on practical solutions. During negotiations, more emphasis should be placed on sustaining any agreements in the long run. Admittedly, many of the problems that led to these demands, or the demands themselves, are long running. However, this should not lead to hasty decisions taken under the shadow of elections.

    The problem in government has always been how to balance the strain of current pressing issues against the itch of past commitments. Oil prices, which are vital to our economy, crashed to very low levels a few years ago, and the country has only just climbed out of a recession. This created now-pending commitments and fresh problems that require delicate handling in balancing the related issues. Where current realities present a crisis of prioritisation, it is always best to focus on the future.

    This is, therefore, a call to ASUU, NLC, TUC and all the other unions currently engaged in negotiations with the government. Like has been said earlier, many of the claims and demands made appear to be well-intentioned, but significant effort at the dialogue table should be expended on avoiding further problems in the future. We want better salaries, schools and cheaper fuel, but it all begins with helping the government to make better decisions.

  • Court strikes out Jonathan’s wife’s N2b suit

    Court strikes out Jonathan’s wife’s N2b suit

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a N2billion rights enforcement suit filed by former First Lady Patience Jonathan against the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC).

    Mrs Jonathan alleged that the freezing of accounts belonging to her and some of her relations, following interim forfeiture orders got by the EFCC, and the alleged raiding and searching of her properties, violated her fundamental rights.

    She sought, among others, a restraining order against the EFCC and N2billion damages should the court find that her rights were violated.

    In a judgment yesterday, Justice John Tsoho held that although the case was not an abuse of court process, as argued by the EFCC, Mrs. Jonathan was not entitled to all the reliefs she sought because she failed to prove her case.

    Justice Tsoho resolved two of the three issues identified for resolution against her. The first issue was whether the suit was not an abuse of court process, with the judge holding that it was not.

    On the second issue, which relates to whether the various acts of the respondent (EFCC) against the applicant referred to in the affidavit in support of the application violated any fundamental rights of the applicant, the court said the acts alleged did not violate her rights

    On the third issue, which was whether the applicant was entitled to the reliefs sought in the application, Justice Tsoho said Mrs. Jonathan was not entitled to any of the reliefs sought because she failed to prove her case.

    Justice Tsoho faulted Mrs. Jonathan’s claim that the alleged indiscriminate freezing of her accounts and those of her relations, on allegation of money laundering without any invitation and interrogation amounted to a violation of her fundamental right to own property and fair hearing.

    The judge noted that although the applicant fervently denied her involvement in criminal activities, it was her words against that of the respondent. He added that, on that score, it could be said that the steps taken by the respondent are based on reasonable suspicion of the applicant having committed a criminal offence.

    Justice Tsoho relied on the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of Dangaba vs. Federal Republic of Nigeria 2012 LPELR 19172, particularly pages 23 to 24, to hold that the ex-parte order obtained by the EFCC to attach her assets, which are under investigation, did not violate her rights to fair hearing and to own property.

    The judge added that the powers of the court under sections 28 and 29 of the EFCC Act to grant such ex-parte orders, “convers special jurisdiction and is a statutory power which is superior to the rules of court, and the order granted under such power operates until the determination of the civil rights and obligations of the parties with regards to the properties under consideration.

    “I am therefore guided by Dangaba case (supra) to hold that the applicant’s rights to own properties and fair hearing have not been violated by the acts of the respondent.”

    The judge said she also failed to establish her claim that the EFCC invaded, raided and unlawfully conducted searches on her properties having not provided evidence to counter EFCC’s denial of being involved in the activities alleged.

    On her allegation of the violation of her fundamental right against discrimination her political views expressed during the 2015   general elections there is no verifiable evidence before this court to prove that point, and it stands defeated.

    The judge said in the absence of any verifiable evidence before the court to prove the point that she was being victimised and discriminated against because of her political view, the point stood defeated.

    The judge said: “Having held that the applicant’s case is not made out, I further hold that the applicant is not entitled to any of the reliefs sought in this application. The applicant’s suit is accordingly struck out.”

  • Air Force kills scores of insurgents in fresh air strikes

    Air Force kills scores of insurgents in fresh air strikes

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) announced yesterday that it had carried out more air strikes against Boko Haram terrorists in the Sambisa general area in Borno State, killing scores of them and destroying their structures and hideouts in the process.

    The bombardment of the insurgents were said to have been conducted with four fighter jets and two helicopters after series of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissannce (ISR) missions had been carried out on the target areas.

    According to the Director of Public Relations and Information of NAF, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole carried out the strikes in an operation code-named operation Ruwan Wuta III.

    He explained in a statement supported with a declassified video footage that “on 12 Dec 17, the Air Task Force of OP LAFIYA DOLE commenced an intensive bombardment of the hideouts of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) in Northern BORNO and the SAMBISA general area in an operation codenamed Operation RUWAN WUTA 3.

    “On the first day of the Operation, an air interdiction mission was conducted on a BHT hideout in KOLARAM, which is 37km East of MONGUNO.”

    According to AVM Adesanya “Previous Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions by Nigerian Air Force (NAF) platforms had revealed KOLARAM to be an active BHT location from where the terrorists had launched attacks on our surface forces in Northern BORNO.

    “Accordingly, 2 NAF helicopters were detailed for a pre-dawn attack on the settlement, followed by another wave of attacks from 4 fighter aircraft.

    “Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) showed that several structures were destroyed, causing fire within the settlement while some insurgents were killed in the process.

    “On the same day, one NAF helicopter and some fighter aircraft attacked an adjoining settlement Southeast of KOLARAM, targeting structures that had been observed to host significant BHT activities. The targeted BHT structures were destroyed and engulfed in fire, killing the terrorists hiding in them.

    “During the attacks on KOLARAM and Southeast of KOLARAM, some escaping insurgents were tracked as they fled northwards to JUBILARAM, which is 38km Northeast of MONGUNO.

    “ Accordingly, another wave of air interdiction was launched on the location, which was also found to be active with BHT activities. Four NAF fighter aircraft took turns to attack structures occupied by BHT elements in the settlement.

    “Subsequent BDA revealed that the attacks resulted in a large part of the settlement being engulfed in fire, thereby destroying the BHTs structures and neutralising the fleeing BHTs,” AVM Adesanya stated.

  • Harvest of strikes

    SIR: Nigerian workers are suffering! Sadly, succour seems not in sight just yet. While we prepare to commemorate the anniversary of our nation’s independence, it is disheartening that we haven’t seen the light at the end of the tunnel since our current farm produce is nothing other than bountiful agitations and industrial actions in good measure shaken together!

    The minimum wage in Nigeria is N18,000.00 only, with many state governments still owing workers. Remarkably, a Bill sponsored by Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos) seeking to provide for the review of the national minimum wage every five years is being considered by the National Assembly. However, it is also important to observe that an increase in money wages will not secure any betterment in the conditions of living unless there is plentiful supply of food and goods since inflation occasioned by economic recession is a proximate cause of the continuous clamour for increased minimum wage by workers across the country.

    Of note, the right to strike, which serves as a complement of employees’ rights has been subject of much statutory regulations over the years in view of the enactment of the Trade Disputes Act, Trade Union Act, and the Trade Disputes (Essential Services) Act. It is apt to pontificate that industrial actions become the last resort after the failure of protracted representations to the government for improved conditions of work to meet the very much increased cost of living, which has become unbearable, leaving pensioners, workers and not to mention the growing numbers of unemployed who have been most seriously hit by the rise in prices, groaning.

    The National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, had embarked on a nationwide strike on September 4, protesting the sack of some of their colleagues, non-payment of “skipping” entitlement, non-inclusion in the IPPIS platform and non-payment of their salary arrears, among other demands. This has crippled all health services at secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities across the nation.

    In the same vein, staff union of universities had embarked on their annual strike festival since signing the 2009 agreement with a view to making our ivory towers become world class and improve their global ranking. Nigerian universities’ students can recount the loss and trauma the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ (ASUU) strike which barely lasted for over a month caused. But it is not yet ‘happy resumption!’, firstly because ASUU conditionally suspended their strike action in view of the timeline of October for the implementation of the Memorandum of Action, and more particularly since other unions are yet to resume, ASUU’s grace period at this stage is academic for all intent and purpose. Not forgetting that Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) of Federal Polytechnic Bauchi embarked on an indefinite strike action after accusing the Rector of the institution, Dr. Shuaibu Mohammed Musa of high handedness. The list seems endless; with tales of woes accompanying same while the Python continues to dance in some regions!

    Another cause for worry is the confrontational stance of the federal government with the United Labour Congress of Nigeria (ULC), over the legality of the group having affiliated unions such as: Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Electricity Workers, Nigerian Union of Mine Workers, National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions employees, Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, among others, some downing their tools midnight of Monday, September 18, until further notice.

    It is clear that these Nigerian workers had exercised patience and exhausted all constitutional means to come to a reasonable settlement over their grievances, but the government was not willing to co-operate.

     

    • Michael O. Ogunjobi Esq.

    Lagos.

  • Averting incessant strikes

    SIR:As a former active participant in the academic life of University of Ibadan for more than three decades, I cannot in good conscience fault the current Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) leadership for embarking on series of strikes to back the demand for improvement in the university system in our country. In fact, it is heart-warming to listen to the confession of the Federal Minister of Education when he said that the government has failed ASUU.  It is obvious to any discerning Nigerian that our university system is on the verge of collapse due to monumental neglect of our universities by successive military and civilian administrations in this country. The neglect has led to the establishment of many ill-equipped private universities all over the country which pay premium to what the students can pay rather than the attainment of high academic standard

    The country inherited from Britain at independence a sterling university system which was comparable to the best in the world. The standard at University College Ibadan latter known as University Of Ibadan and other universities that followed in the sixties and seventies was very high. The environment for learning was very conducive in these universities as libraries were equipped with latest books and journals; the laboratories had the state-of-the-art equipment for meaningful research. University campuses were like monasteries in term of serenity, orderliness and beauty. They were all then beacons of all that we’re good in the society.  The well trained students of these universities had easy passage to postgraduate training in overseas universities in Britain and USA effortlessly. It was at this time that Ibadan established itself as the premier centre for African History through its world-renowned Ibadan School of History and global leader in haemoglobin and natural products research in its department of Chemistry. The University College Hospital at Ibadan (UCH) was the best in Africa and one of the leaders in the Commonwealth of Nations.

    The reputation of University of Ibadan was so high that in 1987 at the University of Western Australia in faraway Australia, a student from a lesser known university in Nigeria was admitted to do straight PhD instead of going through the Masters programme just because I intervened that the standard in this student’s university was comparable to that at Ibadan. Strikes at universities were very rare in those days. The pristine situation in our universities gradually deteriorated during the long stay of the military in the governance of our country. The university system was emasculated through shortage of fund, unwarranted interference in the university governance, unbridled expansion in the student population without corresponding increase funding and expansion of infrastructure and the taking over of hitherto regional universities by the federal military government which in effect made the government to bite more than it could chew.

    The net results of these ill-thought government actions led among others to a decline in the academic standard, deterioration in learning environment, overcrowded classrooms, empty bookshelves in the libraries, desolate laboratories and a neglect and underfunding of research activities. The morale of staff and students sagged and as a result brilliant academicians left our shores for other countries where academic activities are cherished. The reputation of our universities as citadels of learning with high academic standard fell in international academic arena. Our students are now denied automatic admission to postgraduate training in overseas universities where they are asked to undergo remedial courses. This happened in my presence at the University of Fort Hare Alice South Africa in 2001 when a student with an honours degree from a first generation university was asked despite my intervention to join the honour class for a year before he could proceed to a Masters programme.

    We are again at the cross road with present ASUU strike. The current government with the mantra of change should take the bull by the horn by taking measures that will permanently put an end to incessant ASUU strikes, so that we may have in place of strike in our universities, stability in the university calendar, efficiency and academic excellence.

     

    • Prof. Olabode Lucas,

    University of Ibadan.

  • Nigeria exits recession amidst a rash of strikes

    Nigeria exits recession amidst a rash of strikes

    We would need to protect local industries and prevent importation of substandard goods, while more proactively managing the distortions in our economy

    My first reaction when I heard that SSANU, NASU and co were joining ASUU on an indefinite strike, in a thoroughly beleaguered economy, was to intervene as follows on a trending discussion on the Ekitipanupo web portal: “I think it is time Nigeria heeds Prof Wole Soyinka’s advice: close all these universities for a minimum two years and re direct their massive intelligence and expertise to our lagging agriculture. Enough of this nonsense. Also, a good number of these people could resign, (after all, I resigned from a university job), leverage on their incomparable expertise and start off their own outfits. They have enough knowhow to make a success of them. Doctors too, even those just graduating, could start mini clinics. Rather than go for agbo Jedi (an assortment of local herb concoctions) we shall be calling on them and patronising them in droves. Or what manner of country is this where everybody is going on strike even with no statutory notices given any longer. Where has good, old rational negotiations gone?”

    In writing like that, I was not unmindful of the skyrocketing cost of living with the rate of inflation at around 17 per cent; even as salaries and wages of government workers are in arrears of close to one year in some states. I also actually not only read, but shared on my Face book wall so that not only Nigerians, but the  entire world, could  know of  the following views of Professor Itse Sagay SAN, a key member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption team. Said he at a lecture: “The National Assembly is made up of self-serving lawmakers who allocated N125billion to themselves alone this year. While the United States President earns $400,000 per annum, a Nigerian senator earns over $1.7million. Apart from a basic salary of N2.4million per month, they earn allowances, such as hardship (50 per cent of basic salary), newspaper allowance (50 per cent), wardrobe allowance (25 per cent), entertainment (30 per cent), recess (10 per cent) and leave (10 per cent), among others totalling N29.5million per month.” Speaking further, Sagay said: “Perhaps the most notorious example of the legislators’ resistance to the war against corruption is the rejection of the right of the executive to choose the persons who will spearhead that struggle. The clear impression is created that Nigerian legislators are in office for themselves and not for the populace. Not surprisingly, he added, the National Assembly has not passed a single bill for the promotion of anti-corruption war since it commenced business in July 2015. The Whistle Blowers Protection Bill, the Proceeds of Crime Bill and the Special Criminal Court Bill remain in a virtual state of stagnation. What (more) evidence do we need to establish the hostility of the eighth Assembly to the anti-corruption war?”

    The situation so eloquently captured by the learned professor is one glaring example of the deleterious consequences of former President Olusegun Obasanjo inflicting on the country, two very weak successive presidents both of who so actively romanced the National Assembly that its members became so swollen headed, and selfish, they turned Nigeria into their cash cow. Worse is the fact that their outrageous allowances were not approved by the appropriate agency of state, the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, but self-awarded. It must be said, in mitigation though, that on Friday, 8 September, 2017, without robustly challenging Sagay by  revealing, in unmistakable terms what the senators’ salaries and allowances are,  Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi,  Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, claimed that Professor Sagay is fond of disparaging the federal legislature and its members. I think the senate spokesperson should do more than this as everything Sagay said has been a ringing challenge since the inauguration of the 8th senate.

    I digress.

    If one could ask, why do successive governments not consider themselves honour bound to respect agreements they freely entered into without their hands being tied behind their backs? Why should a government whose campaign mantra is change look on helpless, as this slew of strikes rear their  ugly heads to further worsen a poorly performing economy by having productivity reduced to almost nothing in some of its very critical sub sectors?

    That this happened on such a massive scale this time around, speaks to a lack of capacity in those areas of the executive branch and the president should have no further need of more calls to rejig his cabinet especially now that an aspiring presidential candidate has successfully breached the federal executive council.

    It’s time to throw out its incompetent and disloyal members.

    The good news about Nigeria exciting recession came from the National Bureau of Statistics this past week, with the GDP growing by 0.55 thus indicating an end to five consecutive quarters of contraction since the first quarter of 2016. While the experts busy themselves with the pro and con and the politicians throw in their usual obfuscations, I would like to share with my readers, the following perspicacious contribution on Ekitipanupo by Mr. Tope Ojo. It is edited for space purposes, but left, essentially in its racy, simple but highly didactic format.  It is about the   exchange rate of the naira which Ambassador Dapo Fafowora, a former Chairman of the United Nations Development Committee, deprecates for having multiple, rather than a single FX rate.

    Tope  wrote: “It is a fact that the exchange rate of the Naira to any other foreign currency is high. The Naira has been weak for quite some time and, was on a steady decline before the federal government and the Central Bank came up with remedial actions to shore it up.

    Our socioeconomic problems in Nigeria are largely self inflicted.

    The basic law of price discrimination is, primarily, about demand and supply.

    1. About 40% of our monthly foreign exchange (FX) needs is for the importation of refined petroleum products. If there is adequate local production of refined petroleum products, our dollar needs for their importation will be zero; and the value of Naira will significantly improve.
    2. Nigeria is probably the only large crude oil exporter in the world that is still importing refined petroleum products.
    3. Proceeds of corrupt practices, over the years are mostly laundered abroad. The funds are used to buy properties and luxury items while some are stashed away in the vaults of foreign banks. The demand or FX due to these illicit activities has profound effects on the exchange rate of the naira.
    4. Nigeria has a big trading sector. We import virtually everything under the sun. This exerts a huge pressure on demand for foreign currency and affects the exchange rate.
    5. Round tripping and other illegal currency activities. The Black Market in Nigeria is an ancient trade which remains potent and active.
    6. If we increase our exports, we would earn more foreign currencies, and strengthen the Naira. If we reduce our imports, there will be reduction on the pressure on our demand for foreign currency, and the value of the Naira will improve.
    7. We need to better manage the elements of our demand for foreign currencies.
    8. Trade restrictions and protection of local industries is, therefore, very vital.
    9. Huge Infrastructural development is a critical factor for rapid socioeconomic development. And in this respect, the power sector is pivotal.
    10. Good policy formulation and implementation are also key.
    11. Development of our health, Education and Tourism sectors will substantially reduce our demand for foreign currency. Nigeria presently spends a lot on all of these products and services.

    As a nation, we need to focus more on production. Until we vastly increase both  our agricultural and industrial production to meet our  domestic  needs and, possibly  have room for export ,we would continue to have an  unfavourable balance of payment position with our trading partners, and, thereby,  continue to have  issues  with  the  exchange rate of the  naira.

    The way out for Nigeria is a comprehensive ‘Change’ programme that will result in increased agricultural and industrial productivity, which will earn more foreign exchange, coupled with a better calibrated foreign exchange outflow.

    We would need to protect local industries and prevent importation of substandard goods, while more proactively managing the distortions in our economy.  We need to become much more competitive.

    Without properly managing inflation, unemployment, unfavourable exchange rates and other vital economic indices, Nigeria may not be able to grow her economy on a steady basis for a very long time to come.

    A strong Naira is an economic imperative.

  • Incessant strikes in Kadpoly

    SIR: I want to bring to the notice and draw the attention of the federal government, particularly the Federal Ministry of Education to look into the internal strike in Kaduna Polytechnic before it gets out of hand. Kaduna Polytechnic is known to be the largest polytechnic in West Africa, both for her academic performance and infrastructural development, coupled with her size and the population of her students. I am afraid that the polytechnic’s rank in the country, Africa and beyond may soon be decline due to her incessant strikes.

    I call on the concerned authorities to quickly and adequately address the unbecoming strikes in the polytechnic in order to prevent the school from extinction. Barely few days after its resumption from the Yuletide break, the students were hit with yet another indefinite strike action embarked by its lecturers for non-payment of five months arrears of peculiar academic and hazard allowances. This is not the first time for this kind of strike to happen.

    According to the information, the management of the polytechnic failed to disburse to the lecturers the funds released by the federal government for the purpose. Any time the polytechnic goes on strike, the reason is always the nonpayment of their allowances and this is always affecting the students, making them to spend extra year (s) in the institution.

    The time to solve this problem once and for all is now.

     

    • Ifeoma Nmeregini.

    Nyanya, Abuja.

  • Don to ASUU: curb resort to strikes

    Former Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education, Prof. Peter Lassa, has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to  reduce the use of strikes in pressing its demands in the universities.

    Lassa, a professor of Mathematics, spoke to reporters in Abuja on the ‘Sorry state of education in Nigeria’

    “ASUU needs to reduce strike actions. They should strike only when the issues are serious,” he said.

    Lassa, who noted that the level of basic education had fallen, added that the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) is not doing enough to tackle it.

    “The UBEC is not meeting the goal that is intended. There is no infrastructure in schools. And the low quality of teachers in the country is worrisome,” he said.

    He also said politics between states and Federal Government was hampering the quality of education in the country.

    “The policy by the government should be laid down clear. Unilateral decision is creating problems for Nigeria’s education. Why should state governments establish universities when there is no basic education in their state?” he asked.

    Lassa called for academic and administrative autonomies for universities.

     

  • Nigeria’s season of strikes

    Nigeria’s season of strikes

    With civil servants across 30 states of the federation on strike over backlogs of salary arrears, socioeconomic activities have become crippled in the affected states. In this report Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf examines the issues involved.

    EVENTS of the past 12 months have proved bookmakers right that the economy, in a manner of speaking, is in a pretty bad shape. Indeed as former U.S. President, Bill Clinton said in his now famous wisecrack, yes, it’s the economy stupid! Nigeria’s economy has taken the heat these past months due to biting credit crunch such that most civil servants across the states have been at the receiving end and thus have had to embark on strike in protest against their state governments.

    When just a few state governments expressed difficulty in paying civil servants last year, no one thought it was much of a problem. Most people at the time felt it was just a flash in the pan and nothing to loss sleep over. But with the outcry by the Nigeria Labour Congress, that over 27 states like Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Ekiti, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Bayelsa, Kogi, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Edo, Kwara, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers and Zamfara all owe workers backlogs of salaries, the enormity of the cash crisis has since sunk in.

    Even President Muhammadu Buhari while addressing the National Executive Council members of the All Progressives Congress recently, expressed concern over the precarious state of the nation’s economy, saying that no fewer than 27 states of the federation were finding it difficult to pay workers’ salaries. Little wonder, the workers and pensioners in various states have continued to protest non-payment of salaries as they are seen sitting on bare floors at state secretariats in protest of their owed pay.

    One of the plausible arguments being canvassed for the most part is that the parlous state of the economy has been due largely to the dwindling revenue from the federation account occasioned by diminishing oil receipts as a result of the fall in global crude oil prices. However, to policy and financial experts heaping the whole blame on the weak economic fundamentals simply begs the question.

    Interestingly, one fellow who has long predicted the current turn of events is Bismarck Rewane, renowned economist and policy analyst. Rewane who is the Managing Director/CEO,Financial Derivatives Company Limited, while giving his outlook for Nigeria in 2016, in a paper titled: ‘2016 is Crunch time for Nigeria’ said the nation’s woes were largely self-inflicted.

    Waxing philosophical, he said: “The bible says in Genesis 41:29-30 that, seven fat years in Egypt will be followed by seven lean years in the time of Joseph. It was to warn the profligate children of Egypt to reduce their ostentatious and extravagant ways. They were advised to save some wheat or grain in preparation for the tough times ahead.

    “Even in biblical times, the cyclicality of economics was acknowledged. Therefore, it is surprising that various Nigerian administrations in the last 20 years failed to heed this basic principle of putting something aside for the rainy day.”

    The above picture, clearly illustrates the macro-economic Cul-de-sac which Africa’s largest economy and country by population is facing, he said.

    “The country is confronted by its steepest decline in oil revenue by 57.25% to $4.12bn, leaving a significant shortfall to fund the budget for 2016. The funding gap which translates into an amount of N2.2trn is 1.93% of GDP.

    “This external shortfall in dollars resulting more from the sharp fall in the yield (spread) for a barrel of oil which has fallen by 91.57% from $95pb to $8pb. This is more than the 65% fall in the nominal price of oil in the market. In the good old days, the quarterly dollar inflow was in excess of $18bn per year. This is now down to a paltry $8.48bn. The effect of this picture is that the Nigerian economy is now tottering on the edge of an extended period of slow GDP growth.”

    The truth is, Nigeria unlike other countries planned in earnest and made futuristic projections in the wake of the volatility of the global oil prices to enable them withstand the shocks. In Nigeria’s case, reverse was the case. It’s therefore little surprising that the economy is in a recession at the moment, he stressed.

    Rewane who declared that the state governments will remain technically insolvent through-out 2016, was however optimistic that some states like Lagos, Rivers, Akwa Ibom will coast along while others might need to fire staff and rationalise their expectations and expenditure.

    Strikes galore

    From Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, Kwara, Benue states etal, there have been horrible stories, the stuff of which Nollywood blockbusters are made. There have been very horrendous stories of how citizens have been living in depravity more than they are willing to admit. Some of the affected civil servants have turned into beggars and objects of charity that sneak into churches, mosques and relatives’ houses or rely on public spirited compatriots to feed their families.

    Lending credence to the foregoing, one of the affected civil servants in Osun state who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation confided in The Nation that most families within the state have been unable to feed themselves and cater for their basic needs.

    So economically distressed are these breadwinners that they are now eagerly awaiting the N5,000 monthly stipends for the unemployed promised by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “There are much more deeper problems than salaries. Most of the workers also signed off on cooperatives with a mandate to the government to deduct from their salaries at the end of every month. A huge chunk of that has not been remitted for the past two years and neither can they take loans. Ditto for allowances and pensions. As we speak, workers are still being owed over five months in arrears. For the most part, the civil servants are being paid in peace meal, mostly half salaries like casual workers. It’s that bad.”

    Expectedly, with no respite anywhere else, most civil servants in many states have either just suspended their strike.

    In a place like Ekiti for instance, the workers called off their strike on Friday following an agreement with the state government.

    Of course, in some states where they are still working, the labour movement in the states have declared their intention to go on strike.

    Worried that the lingering strike action embarked upon by its members had not yielded the desired effect, the Oyo state NLC had on Tuesday sought divine intervention to end the industrial impasse between them and the state government by going on fasting and prayers.

    This, the workers said they hope will spur government to their plight and meet all their demands. The Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Waheed Olojede while speaking in Ibadan said his members who are being owed over six months salary arrears, were embarking on a seven days marathon fasting and prayer because it consider it a critical time to seek God’s intervention for the government to meet its demands and to sustain the struggle.

    Olojede said the union is still open for negotiation with the state government anytime, anywhere. On the issue of the six months outstanding salaries, the labour leader said “At our last meeting with the state government, they promise to set up a committee to look into how to solve the issue. We have since sent our own nominees but we are still expecting the state government to inaugurate the committee.”

    Whither the organised labour?

    As agitations over unpaid salaries rages, the organised labour unions have come under criticisms for literally leaving the workers out in the cold.

    Barr. Ibrahim Abdulmalik while making reference to the incident in Oyo, where it was alleged that the state government rented a crowd to stage a solidarity rally on its behalf, said such attitude clearly shows the government is anti-people.

    Particularly worrisome, he said, is the resort to prayers and fasting in the face of the lingering crisis.

    “If a government can go and pay people to stage solidarity rallies but can’t pay workers that’s really laughable.”

    While throwing darts at the organised labour for laziness of initiatives, Abdulmalik  said the resort to fasting and prayers shows that those leading the unions hardly understands what the issues are.

    “The question to ask is this, are they not aware that Nigeria is a signatory to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), where there is a clause that if you’re unable to pay workers’ salaries at the end of the month you’re guilty of wage theft and it’s actionable? A clear case of wage theft has been evidently established here and one wonders why the organised labour hasn’t gone to court to enforce this rights infringement?”

    Seething with rage, Abdulmalik queried: “Or is the organised labour saying that the people are custom-made for suffering? Why can’t they enforce that instrument in the court of law? It really baffles one.”

    Bailout funds to the rescue

    As the cash crisis assailing most of the states refused to abate, the Federal Government had no choice but to give bailout funds to help them tide things over.

    Over 20 states last year accessed a bailout package by the Federal Government, most of which were believed to have been used to pay salaries. However, after receiving two bailouts within a space of six months, some 27 states are still in arrears of salaries and pensions running into several months.

    Thankfully, the Federal Government had last week rolled out another financial lifeline, the third in a series of bailout funds. Specifically, it is a N90 billion bond with nine percent interest tied to the states’ being able to meet the 22 conditions contained in the fiscal sustainability plans of the Federal Government.

    Among others, such a state must implement a centralised Treasury Single Account (TSA); ensure that it starts publishing its audited annual financial statements by December each year; set realistic and achievable targets to improve independently generated revenue and favourable ratio of capital to recurrent expenditure; review all revenue-related laws and update of obsolete rates/tariffs; ensure biometric capture of all their civil servants to eliminate payroll fraud; adopt the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) compliant software to be put to use in their respective states and local governments; establish a Capital Development Fund to ring-fence capital receipts and adopt accounting policies to ensure that capital receipts are strictly applied to capital projects and prohibition of commercial bank loans.

    Other conditions are – that total liabilities do not exceed 250% of total revenue for the preceding year while monthly debt service deduction is not to exceed 40% of the average Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation for the preceding 12 months; they are also expected to publish, quarterly, the budget implementation performance report online.

    Not many however agree that the bailout is the best option for the economically bankrupt states.

    However, in the opinion of Henry Igbinoba, an economic analyst, the idea of giving bailout funds will simply encourage indolence on the part of the state governments.

    “Giving bailout funds to state governments is indirectly encouraging their irresponsibility. Normally, state governments ought to be able to look for other means and ways of taking care of its statutory responsibilities. Any state governments failing in this regard doesn’t deserve to stay in office a day longer.”

    While not completely dismissive of the whole idea of bailout, Igbinoba argued that such is only tenable in times of war. “If the country was to be ravaged by war and our means of survival is cut off then giving bailout is totally welcomed. But in a situation where you have governments that are just waiting to get bailouts, it’s awkward.”

    Shiny examples

    It is however instructive to note that a few state governments have been able to tide things over at this trying times. Lagos is a shining example. Other states which have not complained about payment of salaries thus far includes: Anambra and Cross River, which had ploughed some of its revenue on a sinking fund.

    While decrying the abject poverty most of the civil servants across the country were been subjected to, Barrister Michael ‘Laolu Oladipo said, it was uncalled for.

    Citing the example of Anambra and Cross River, where workers are enjoying a better deal in terms of welfare, he said things needed not to have been allowed to go this bad.

    Oladipo who is seeking public office as governor in Ondo state under the platform of the APC said if elected as governor, civil servants will not be owed five months salary arrears.

    “Regardless of the excuses being made, the truth is that a place like Ondo state failed to save for the rainy day. When the oil prices was good if the Olusegun Mimiko-led government had committed to putting away N50-75million or even N100m every month into a sinking sovereign fund for the state, that would have been a resource that can be tapped into. And I’m not saying something that has not been done elsewhere before. It has been done by Cross River and Anambra states and those states today were able to go through the rough times a little easier than our state.”

    Dire consequences of unpaid salaries

    There are many dire consequences of owing workers, especially civil servants.

    In the view of Dr. Dare Ogun, a public affairs commentator, the moment you start owing workers’ salaries their loyalty level naturally wanes. “The moment you can’t pay your workers as and when due you lose every moral right to apply sanctions against them when they err. That’s the sad reality.”

    He says this is particularly true of civil servants. “Ordinarily when you pay civil servants, especially teachers in public schools for instance, they are not hundred present at their duty posts. Now that you’re not paying them and still asking them to come to work you’re just endangering the lives of the pupils in those schools. The public school children are at the receiving end of this self-inflicted woes. You’re making it worse for the children’s capacity building and future career.”

    Planless economy

    According to analysts, overreliance on a monoculture economy is partly to blame for the credit crisis in most states. Prof. Chris Onalo, Registrar/CEO, Institute of Credit Administration is convinced that the reason many states are insolvent today is as a result of sheer laziness of initiatives.

    “There is no state of the federation that is not endowed with one mineral resources or the other. But because of overdependence on the federal allocation most of the states with a few exceptions go cap in hand every month to Abuja to get its allocation. Of course, with the dwindling oil receipts, it is only inevitable that the allocation will be drastically affected.”

    Chief Isaac Olusola Dada, Chairman, Anchorial Investment and Securities Limited is also on the same page with Onalo.

    As far as Chief Dada is concerned, the country needs to retrace its steps by going back to agriculture. “Anything short of going back to agriculture is only postponing the evil day,” he deadpans.

    Not many share this view. One of them is Col. Tony Nyiam (rtd). In a monitored television magazine programme in Lagos, Nyiam who was a member of the National Conference some years back, said the faulty structure of the nation’s federal system was largely to blame for the parlous state of the economy.

    The overcentralisation of government, he says, is at the heart of the crisis bedevilling the economy.

    “A situation where the government at the centre takes the resources of the states without leaving them sufficient is daylight robbery,” he said.

    He emphasised that there is clearly a need to rethink the present economic system to turn things around for good. Pray, is someone listening?