By Eromosele Ebhomele
One of Nigeria’s major labour unions, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, on Thursday said it was ready to wage war against governors in the country who have mismanaged the bailout funds given them by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari sometime ago.
It has been revealed that none of the governors spent all the funds allocated to them as bailout on the payment of salary arrears for workers. The workers, who are already suffering from the alleged laziness of government, were allegedly further short-changed by the governors.
The TUC says it supports calls for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to intensify their investigations into how the affected state governments utilised the bailout funds they received to offset workers’ outstanding salaries and allowances and the pensions of retirees.
The labour body said it was worried by the unbridled greed and quest for materialism demonstrated by most governors and politicians, especially at this time when the country is experiencing major economic crunch and workers are being owed their entitlements.
“It is criminal for governors to play politics with workers’ welfare.
“The Congress is unimpressed by the porous explanations in the national dailies by some governors and their commissioners for information on how the monies were spent.
“As a labour centre we get first-hand information from our members in all the states of the federation. We therefore know that some state governments are being economical with the truth when they make statements purporting to have settled all their indebtedness to their workers.
“Even where a particular state government pays some of the outstanding entitlements, does that automatically translate to a liquidation of the entire debt?
“Indeed officers of the ICPC and EFCC should beware of this mischievous posturing in relevant bank transfer documents presented by the state governments,” the TUC said in a statement personally signed by Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, its President.
The congress added that it is inexcusable for any governor to neglect payment of workers and divert the funds.
“Weighing such actions against the backdrop of the recent happenings in the Senate evokes serious concern about the integrity of our current crop of politicians.
“Both the ICPC and EFCC are on the right track, and must not allow themselves to be cowed by any individual or group in their fight against corruption.
“We know that corrupt politicians are wont to employ all antics to oppose the work of both commissions. Corruption fights back, but all stolen wealth must be recovered. And any state that fails to make prompt payment of salaries and pensions will definitely face the wrath of Nigerian workers.
“As a labour centre, the fight against corruption and its effects on the growth and development of our nation is of very special interest to us, as indeed it is to all other patriotic Nigerians.
“The success of that crusade is the insurance that most of us have to decent living, and the only guarantee that our nation will stand strong and take its place among the leading nations of the world.
“The upsurge of corruption in Nigeria in recent times is particularly disturbing. Indeed statistics reveal that Nigeria is 163rd out of 172 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, with its annual corruption level in recent years averaging $5 billion.
“It has done unquantifiable damage to the national life. For instance, the menace of corruption leads to slow movement of files in offices, fuels police extortion, accentuates traffic jams, port congestion, queues at passport offices and petrol stations, ghost-workers syndrome, election irregularities, inflation of budgets and contract fees, etc.
“We know that corruption pervades most establishments in Nigeria, private or public. Aside the political class, another major culprit is the justice system, especially the judiciary.
“As a result of corruption, justice is perverted and judgment is often delivered in favour of the guilty that are able to pay their way through.
“Little wonder that we rarely ever get to see any conviction in major corruption cases, yet the law courts are supposed to be the last bastion of hope for the common man and society.
“Thus we call on the President Buhari-led administration to do a major vetting and sanitisation of the Nigerian judiciary to sanction and weed out all judges who have sold their consciences for the porridge of illegal gratification. This is an absolute necessity if the federal government’s anti-corruption crusade is to have any hope of succeeding,” the TUC said.