Olajide:
” We should stop running mono-economy; we should not rely on oil as the only source of income. We should diversify. We should exploit other avenues like agriculture that can bring us money.”
Chairman of the Oyo State Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, COMRADE WAHEED OLAJIDE spoke with GBENRO ADESINA on labour, salary and other issues
Q: How do you see the inability of Nigerian government to pay workers’ salary?
A: By media reports, about 18 states have defaulted in the payment of their workers’ salary in the last few months, ranging between one and five months. Even the states that do not owe salary are indebted to some deductions. Unfortunately, Federal Government is also alleged to owe salary. Though, we saw it coming, but we never knew when it would start. The situation is a national embarrassment and calamitous. Nigerian leaders should begin to find out how the nation degenerates to this incomprehensible level and what is the way out? How do you expect workers that are denied his rightful salary to be efficient, productive, commitment, happy, and motivated? It is out of order for an employer of labour in the private and public sectors to owe salary.
It is absolutely dehumanizing. Remuneration is the workers’ source of income and if unnecessarily delayed, the entire family is plunged into serious calamity. Once it is resolved, government must not allow it to happen again.
Q: If you saw it coming, why didn’t you stop it or did you compromise?
A: We didn’t compromise. We saw it coming by the actions of the Nigerian leaders in terms of mismanagement, embezzlement, and fraud that have pervaded all facets our lives.
Q: Why didn’t you prevent it from the outset?
A: It is one thing to advise the government and it is another thing for them to heed the advice.
Q: What is the situation in Oyo State?
A: Oyo State is not a peculiar state. It is what is happening here that is happening elsewhere but the situation is better in Oyo State where we are only owed four months, March to June.
Q: Why did you call off the strike when the government still owes you that much?
A: We came on board as a new NLC leadership on April 23 April, 2015 with the government owing the salary of February and March. My administration wrote the state government, highlighting our sufferings and appealed that something must be done to safe the situation. On 18 May, the government invited us for a meeting that Governor Abiola Ajimobi presided over. We told the government that something drastic must be done to alleviate the sufferings of the workers. That meeting coincided with the time the finance commissioner returned from the federation account allocation committee in Abuja.
That gave the government the opportunity to put on the table the allocation brought from Abuja. At that time, 20,000 workers, majorly teachers from the secondary schools and some senior level cadre in the state were left out of the February salary. Besides, retirees were also owed February pension, and workers’ deductions for their cooperative, bank loan and check off due for the union were pending. So, we asked government to clear February salary and other deductions which it did. After that and realising what is left could not pay March salary, we made government to agree that as soon as it receives any allocation, it would offset as much of debt as it can. We also held a meeting over local government allocation.
As at that time, local government received N1.9b and N915m as allocation and vat respectively. We then decided that in view of current situation, we should add the vat with the statutory allocation to make N2.8b and use it pay salary, though not sufficient. Because the Vat is not for recurrent, there was hot argument as regards our suggestion and at the end; we agreed to divide the vat with the ratio of 50-50. So, we added 50 percent of 915m to N1.7b and we have to N2.4b and after that we did appropriate to all the segments. At that level, we had to call our colleagues to resume so that they will process the money to get to us rather than leaving it with the government that can spend it on something else. That was how we called off our strike.
Q: Some teachers alleged of illegal deductions leading to them receiving less than their salary?
A: Any teacher that has such a problem should notify the appropriate quarters and if they fail to act accordingly, they should come to us and we will ensure that we fight for such people to get their money.
Q: How can we forestall this ugly situation of government owing salary?
A: The matters should be addressed from the top. We should stop running mono-economy; we should not rely on oil as the only source of income. We should diversify. We should exploit other avenues like agriculture that can bring us money. Our farm settlements should be revamped and resurrected from dead. We should stop corruption and frauds in oil sector. Our refineries should be made to work and we should stop payment of subsidy. Oyo State should stop using tax consultants who remit 40 per cent and go away with 60 per cent. Instead, it should make use of its workers. IGR should be pursued with human face.
Q: How can education be improved in the state?
A: First, in Oyo State, government can’t do it alone. Stakeholders should be made to contribute. A free education scheme that will exclude parents from taking responsibility is not good for our system now that government doesn’t have enough to meet all the challenges facing education. I am advocating a redefining of educational sector.
Q: What are your expectations from the new government?
A: The governor should take the contents of the position paper we have sent to him seriously and execute them for us. END