Disclaimer: this short post is not targeted at anyone, government or group of people. It is the personal view of the writer based on the information at his disposal on the issue under review.
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Over the years, I've been keenly interested in virtually every challenges workers in Ogun state have been facing under successive governments in the state.
The last 2 years gave me deeper understanding of the workings of the government and the governed - particularly the civil servants.
The problems of unpaid salaries to late promotion and deductions to non remittance of same: it is the same story over and over with no chance of abating or end in view.
Here is the problem;
Because of the lopsided and dishonest ways successive governments have been operating their policies towards workers remunerations, accumulation upon accumulation in arrears has collapsed the system and now left for who can grab the most from the exploitation.
It was a brilliant idea of the government to put up mechanisms that will give workers an opportunity to dream big and live better lives which will in turn improve service delivery and better society for all. One of these mechanisms is the deductions for workers' cooperative savings, pension savings and health insurance savings. All these will make a state workforce be positive about their job once the security of better life is guaranteed - especially from their government. This is what can reduce corruption.
But in the absence of true commitment on the part of the government, the whole thing is left to the dogs: politics, profiteers and manipulators
If you can't trust the government with your money, who will you trust?
When a worker needs to pay for his child's education, get Medicare for his aging parent, or start a new business, but is denied his savings. What do you call that? - man inequality to man
Minimum wage in Nigeria is one of the lowest in the world - for a oil producing country like ours. At £30 a month, a Nigerian worker is expected to feed his family, take care of himself, pay tax and still save for deductions that should help him financially in time of crisis. When such time now comes but unable to access his savings, you have killed his moral and emotion towards the state and her government. That is when corruption spread. I don't need an EFCC or world bank to tell me that.
Now what is the solution?
Being honest with oneself is a virtue we all must imbibe. There is no justifiable reason for taking money from workers salary, with an agreement that same must be kept in a secured account for a particular period of time when they can access the money, and then you in turn betray them by diverting the money to another things.
If we can be honest. If the government can be honest, we won't even be talking about this right now.
Because of this corrupt act by whoever was in charge of the workers deductions, our schools are closed, hospitals are closed; what else is the purpose of our existence if we all feel unconcerned about things that should concern is seriously?
Put yourself in the shoes of a worker, after 12 months of saving and struggling to live on your salary left overs every month, with 3 children in the university whose tuition are due paid. You approach your credit union or cooperative society to get your savings out in order to keep your children in school. But get a blank and cold response, "the state government is yet to remit your salary deduction in the last 6 months". So no money to withdraw! But the government have been deducting your salary in the last six months? Where is money.
Mind you, the same government is also the one threatening to stop your children from attending schools if you don't pay the fees.
Can you now see the ripple effects of what destructions a single corrupt decision of a man or woman can have on tens of thousands of people?
In some serious countries, government officials get jailed or even condemned to death over this single atrocious crime. It is a crime to spend workers wages without his consent. A good example is China.
Back to the issue:
Ogun state workers are currently going through what I just wrote up here. They are suffering in silence. They are going through what I called "mental recolonization of black by blacks" from their government. It is not a good experience if you are not a worker this minute. They are too scared to even speak out because of the harsh economic situation out there. They are better off being owed salaries, with the hope of getting paid someday, than being jobless and unwanted.
But think about this;
• When a doctor is unpaid or underpaid, he will make mess of free health scheme by creating lacunas in the program that can earn him illegal rewards, at the expense of the people he's employed to serve.
• When a teacher is unpaid or underpaid, she will plot to manipulate the parents to part with their money, illegally, even under a free education policy.
• Same with police, tax collectors and other government agencies - if the government is not honest, the agent will be dishonest too.
I understand their fear. I know their worries. I know their weaknesses and frustration.
But I don't think you do.
I'll submit with this Susan B. Anthony's beautiful quote, "Whoever controls work and wages, controls morals."
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Maiyegun General
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