Since 2015, regular payment of salaries and pensions had become a daunting task, forcing some states to adopt modulation formulars to defray the accumulating arrears. The timely intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari, through the payment of budget support facility, bailout fund and the Paris Club refund to states to cushion the effect, has been heartwarming. By this sheer altruism, the president has shown himself to be a caring leader.
Curiously, some commentators, who are seemingly pontificating from their comfort zones, have opposed the release of the last tranche of the Paris Club refund on a rather superficial premise. In their jaundiced views, the states deserve no further pity because majority of them did not utilize past interventions judiciously. This is tantamount to cutting the nose to spite the face. Surely, decapitation is not a cure for migraine.
Permit me to join President Buhari in asking the antagonists of the refund if they ever pondered ‘how the workers feed their families, pay their rents and even pay school fees for their children’ in these trying times. Do they spare any thought for the senior citizens, particularly those in their dotage, who need to buy drugs regularly to keep their enfeebled bodies in shape? How many more Citizen Soje’s self-annihilation cases must the country record before they realize the intolerable levels of hardship assailing many families?
Since 2011, it’s on record that Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has kept faith with workers and pensioners.In adversity and prosperity, the governor has made workers the capstone of his administration.
Oyo State has about 101,000 public servants and pensioners on its pay roll, which, unarguably, is one of the largest workforces in the country; with a monthly wage bill of about N4.5bn. Suffice to say that the oscillating monthly allocation from the Federation Account, in the region of N3.5bn, and internally generated revenue of about N1.5bn is grossly insufficient to meet its growing developmental needs. Today, 100 per cent of the allocation from the central vault is committed to payment of salaries in a rare gesture by the governor, while other recurrent and capital expenditures compete for the IGR.
For the record, the Ajimobi-led administration was the first to pay 13thmonth full basic salary for three consecutive years (2011-2013) in the history of the state before the pervading paucity of fund made the largesse unsustainable. The governor had also increased workers’ salaries by 300 per cent in the last six years. Before the economy began to experience a downward trend, the governor made payment of salaries on or before the 25th of every month a policy.
On the receipt of the N17.3bn bailout in 2015, Ajimobi ensured that all the four-month arrears of salaries, spanning May to August 2015 were cleared. And to liquidate the freshly accumulated arrears, he had in December 2016, as well as in January, March, July and December 2017 paid double salaries. As at December, the state has paid up to October salaries.
Whereas, the FG appealed to states to utilize 50 per cent of the first tranche of the Paris Club refund for payment of salaries and pensions, the Ajimobi-led administration used 60 per cent of the N7.2bn received; while it committed 100 per cent of the second tranche of N5bn to the payment of salaries, as against the proposed 75 per cent. Thus, out of the total N12.2bn received, about N9.3bn was used to defray salaries of state and local government employees, representing 76 per cent of the total sum.
Ajimobi is also the first governor in the history of the state to purchase shuttle buses for the transportation of workers to and from work, free of charge.
The governor, who is known for his excellent sartorial taste, has also successfully changed the dress sense of workers, including political appointees. Not only this, the once-squalid Governor’s Office has now been transformed into a picturesque edifice, with tranquil ambience. Today, the roving courtiers of praise singers, drummers and rapacious beggars that used to serenade past governors and VIPs have been banished from the façade of the Governor’s Office.
Without any equivocation, the fortunes of senior citizens have been enhanced under the Ajimobi-led administration, starting with the implementation of the 142 per cent increase in pension, which gulped about N2bn, plus arrears. Also worthy of note was the payment of six and 15 per cent pension increases in 2013, donation of operational bus to the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) and harmonisation of the pension of retired heads of service and permanent secretaries.
Therefore, this passing phase of adversity, characterized by the current wonky economy, calls for understanding and support of all and sundry; and not condemnation of the same government that had put smiles on many faces in the season of buoyancy. We should not allow adversity to crush our can-do spirit; rather, it should strengthen it (ala Jonathan Huie). Let citizens be inspired by the admonition of Lee Lacocca that ‘In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.’
As part of its financial reengineering, the state government had taken bold steps to enhance its internally generated revenue through agriculture. It, therefore, behoves key stakeholders to pick up the gauntlet. Although this may not be the best of times to increase taxes, it is nevertheless the most auspicious time to aggressively expand the tax net by co-opting every taxable citizen. An Indian philosopher, Kautilya Chanakya, once said ‘test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune.’ May we all pass this acid test of patriotism.
Please join me in toasting to the continued good health of the quintessential leader and game changer, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, as he celebrates 68 years of God’s abiding grace.
Akin Oyedele is Senior Special Assistant on Media to Oyo State Governor
