Adopting LG autonomy ’ll ignite workers’ crisis for Gov Abdulrazaq – Ex-labour chieftain
In this interview with HEAD POLITICS, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM, former
Special Adviser on Labour Matters to ex-governor, Comrade Bisi
Fakayode, talks about the last election, plight of local government
workers and council autonomy. Excerpts:
How would you describe the last government in which you serve?
First, I appreciate God Almighty for counting me fortunate working for
the last government in the capacity of Special Adviser on Labour
Matters and I will also appreciate former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed
whom God has used for the appointment. The office is more or less an
innovation because it’s the first time labour will be giving a
befitting status in the state and I was the only standing Special
Adviser throughout the two term of the (former) governor. Although I
was dropped a while for about seven months, but I left labour better
than we met it.
Some people will interrogate that assertion especially on the basis
that the labour sector during the twilight of that administration was
characterised by strikes and picketing of government offices?
We have to look at that holistically from where we are coming from.
There was no single protest or strike during the first tenure of the
last governor and Kwarans can attest to this. He was paying salaries
regularly and at when due. The crisis of unpaid salaries especially as
it affects the local governments started during the second tenure
which was more or less a global economic problem then when the
allocation dropped with its cumulative effect on Kwara which is a
civil servant state. The crisis that characterised the tail end of the
last government was normal in the sense that there were some arrears
workers needed to collect and the new government might query them if
they confront it that why did the workers not agitate for it before we
left and unfortunately the resources was not there. I hope there will
be positive change.
There are many people in the state who are of the view that former
Governor Ahmed who was praised as one of the governors with good IGR
concept should have deployed such additional funds to defray LG
backlogs. Would you have advised that?
Most of the states in the country cannot stand on their own because
they are not viable and personally if not for political reasons, many
of the states are not even suppose to be created. One of the greatest
achievements of the last Governor which will long be appreciated is
the area of IGR from less than N500m to over N2b monthly. And I know
if there is improvement in the IGR, Kwara should be able to stand on
its own.
How would you describe your experience in government?
It all depends on the personality that managed the affairs for each
sector and putting a round peg in a round hole is a very good
development. For instance, I was able to bring my past experience into
fore. In the past, I discovered that the concentration of government
is more on the formal sector and most times the informal is more or
less neglected. But during Governor Ahmed’s tenure, we were able to
bring all workers in the state into the fold starting with the
professional motorcycle riders by restructuring them which allowed the
Government to reach out to them to benefit from the dividends of
democracy. Same goes for the artisans, marketers and transporters
among others. So they now have solid structure that can make them
access loan from the government or privately unlike before. Yes, there
are little pockets of problem that affected the parastatals which was
because of meltdown but looking at it holistically; you will give him
pass mark.
Would you want to thread path again?
No, it is better to quit the stage when the ovation is loudest, I am
not the best and with other people, innovation can come and I believe
there are other areas which I can serve. I have made my contribution
to labour in the state in this capacity. So I am fulfilled.
Any regret in retrospect on some of your actions?
The only regret for me in this office was when the portfolio of
studentship was combined with labour and I was mandated to be
overseeing the students. It was a very regrettable experience for me
and I am highly disappointed with most of the leaderships especially
the body called National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS).
At their age with many in their thirties, they are the leaders of
today not even tomorrow. Personally I am very sad about their attitude
and most of the things we are blaming Nigeria for today which is not
even peculiar to politicians, they have embedded and imbibed.
Corruption is more or less endemic in their system.
How best do you think they can be well handled?
There are some policies of government that needed to be changed like
the issue of bursary. The method of paying it now is fraught with
corruption. What market value does N5000 being given to the students
has as at today in Nigeria. So instead of that, why not encourage the
student in the way of competition and scholarships. I am of the view
that bursary should be cancelled and the money used to renovate
schools to better the lots of their lecturers and teachers instead
because it doesn’t get to the desired destination. The last one we
disbursed, the position of the governor was that every beneficiary
should forward their accounts to directly receive the money but the
students protested against it and no government will want crisis. So
we had no alternative than to succumb despite security implication,
time consumption and the risk involved but at the end of the day as
politicians, we had to succumb to some people’s advice that the money
belong to them.
Would you advocate for ministry of labour in Kwara?
The status of workers in Kwara State has gone beyond Special Adviser
overseeing them. They should be given a ministry to look into their
issue both formal and informal just like at the national level. The
jurisdiction of the Head of Service doesn’t cover workers in the
private sector.
Any issue of disagreement with the former governor?
There were many instances in this regards. When I was first appointed,
I questioned the governor if he is sure that I am not the wrong
person. I am the type that will tell you what you don’t want to hear.
Majority of the downfall of most of leaders are caused by the
followers who will not tell them what they ought to hear.
Any particular incident you would want to recount?
There was a meeting we held with NULGE and the governor told them how
much he can give them from the Paris Club Refund and we agreed but
unfortunately immediately we left the meeting, NULGE was not pleased
with it. As one who is between the Government and labour, I knew
during the negotiations through their body language that they will not
accept. Later I was called by the governor that they have not seen any
appreciation from NULGE and I said they were not happy and ask if we
can further reimburse them. The (then) governor was mad at me that
where do I want him to get the fund. That day he made a pronouncement
that my loyalty should be to him and not to labour and I said to God.
He was so bittered with me that very day but at the end of the day, we
resolved everything amicably. What I love and cherish most in (former)
governor Abdulfatah Ahmed is that he is a listening person.
Would you agree to serve (again) if approached?
Yes, so long as it is not on labour field and I have the strength. I
cannot turn down such service for humanity but there are some
capacities which I will politely turn down. However, I will be
available to render my advice/service for whosoever is there free of
charge without any string attached to it so long it is in the interest
of workers. Labour made me what I am today
Let me take you to the issue of salaries with the criticism that Kwara
workers with full payments are receiving less than other states that
are poorer. How do you respond to this?
Before former President Ibrahim Babangida’s regime, there was more or
less a regulated salary structure in the country. When the former
military president brought in the issue of deregulation, labour
agitated but the military regime had their way. Right from the time
the wages were deregulated, states were paying according to their
resources and capacity and they left negotiations to the state
branches of the union. The issue of N18,000 minimum wage was
negotiated and the national, labour and government scales were looked
at and agreement was reached on what should be paid. That is why what
is being paid in Kwara is different from Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos, Osun and
other places. But beyond the take-home, there are some other benefits
we don’t normally consider. For instance, somebody earning N50,000 in
Kwara State is better than somebody earning N100,000 in Lagos because
of the high cost of living. So we have to look at many of these things
holistically but I am happy that the issue of N30,000 has more or less
been concluded.
Do you think Kwara can pay the 30,000 minimum wage?
My advice to workers because I discover that the private sector income
is better than the public sector and you will discover that informal
sector workers like carpenter and Okada riders will have a better
income than even a permanent secretary when you look at their daily
contribution at the end of the month. So I don’t see the urge for
people rushing to be in service and those in service too should have a
thing or two doing after the office work.
What do you make of the allegation that the 18,000 minimum wage was
not truly implemented in Kwara?
I disagree with that because the policy guiding the implementation of
the minimum wage is that the least worker should not take less than
18, 000 and no worker is taking below that in Kwara. This is the
bitter truth. What the 30,000 concept holds is that nobody should take
less than N30,000 monthly. Those who are going to benefit most are
those at the lower cadre and because of overlapping some adjustments
might be made at other levels and that was what happened. So it was
fully implemented.
How best do you think the issue of Local Government workers can be
best addressed?
If the method adopted by (former) Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed at the
latter period after we had fell into arrears at the local government
had been adopted earlier, maybe we wouldn’t have been into any issue
of backlogs. The method was the spirit of being our brother’s keeper.
While there are some local governments that can stand on their own,
there are many local governments that cannot and the spirit behind the
brother’s keeper policy is that whatever comes from Abuja will first
go into a pool and redistributed with the first yardstick being that
all councils must be paid. While it was an advantage to the weaker
local governments, it was a disadvantage to the strong ones that would
have to use part of their money to sustain others as a policy. It will
be better if the (new) government continue with the policy but if they
want to adopt this Buhari autonomy of accounts, than that is the
beginning of crisis. I know of not less than seven local governments
that will not be able to pay their workers even with the autonomy. As
a local government chairman between 1999-2002, I know what I went
through at Irepodun. At times I get minus zero allocation and that is
the interpretation of autonomous accounts. In such instance, nobody
sees you and the principle of the brother’s keeper will no longer be
there. I know of Moro, Ifelodun among others who cannot pay and I know
of some councils in Kwara North that can conveniently pay even up to
three months in advance with surplus. These are the problems.
Government is not a joke and by the time those who are abusing former
Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and former Governor Ahmed get
there, we will see what they will do. I told some of my friends when
we lost election that it was with sadness and joy in the sense that
failure is very bitter but the joy is that when some people look at
you that you can’t put on a cap without stealing and want you removed,
let them also go there and we see how they will handle it. I gave them
6 months. If tomorrow, the autonomy of local government is fully
implemented and some local governments who were getting paid during
tenure of former Governor Ahmed are no longer being paid, the slogan
will be that Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman has stolen their money.
But is it Abdulrahman that caused it? Many of these people don’t have
fear of God and they know the truth. If not for the ingenuity of the
former Governor and understanding of labour, many of the local
government staff would not have gotten what some of them got. But we
wait to see how they will manage it. Whether we belong to APC or PDP,
the state belongs to all of us and we cannot continue to be looking.
Message
My message is very simple and it goes especially to the public
workers, they should prepare for their latter days when they will be
out of service. Gone are the days that one’s livelihood should be tied
to salaries. They need to diversify in their income and exploit things
to do after the office hours. The (new) Governor should see himself as
governor of Kwara State and understands that the issue of partisan
ends on May 29, 2019. There are so many areas that former Governor
Ahmed can be of assistance to him, he should not fail to extend his
hand of fellowship to him and whether they like it or not by virtue of
Senator Bukola Saraki’s position in Kwara, you cannot just discard him
as having nothing to contribute to the development of the state, there
are so many areas he can be of benefit to the Kwara and it will be
better off for the people of Kwara.
