No doubt the continuous plunge of our
crude oil price in the international market
and the increasing exchange rate of naira
against the dollar have automatically
affected fundamentally the monthly
allocations to the states such that the
states no longer get up to the amount
they used to.
Of course, the problem is Nigeria’s almost
sole dependence on oil. The other
problems at the root of this situation is
the existence of unviable states and the
non-federal, or what some people now
call faulty federal system and structure in
Nigeria. These are the problems we are
very familiar with and conceivably well-
acquainted with the consequences of
continuing to manage a problem that is
better solved from the basis.
That said, the problem has perhaps gone
out of control following the fall of crude
oil price which has trimmed down
Nigeria’s income and the allocations to
states. The natural, I mean, the obvious
thing to do is to make amends. Right now,
it will be impossible to attempt to solve
the root causes, particularly, restructuring
our federal construction as penance to
the shortage of funds because, possibly, it
will take years to be fully addressed and
implemented therefore it will not yield
immediate result which is of essence. So
any amend in this direction will take us
deeper into more troubling situations
before eventually solving the problem.
What other option do we have? The
situation calls for sacrificial amends and
rightly so. We all understand the situation
and we have to make sacrifice for the
continuous existence and well-being of
our states. But, is the indirect call by the
governors on workers to sacrifice part of
their (minimum) wage in good
conscience? Is that option even moral or
correct from any and all viewpoints?
Who should make sacrifices, governors
or workers?
Before the minimum wage was reviewed
upwards, it took Nigerian labour unions
years of protest and strikes. There grew
an accepted enmity between the
government and the unions. It was like a
real war. Then, eventually, it ended in the
favour of the workers.
From thence, some governors have shown
much concern explaining the inability of
their respective states to meet up with
the pay while others accepted it. Some
governors made some reforms according
to agreement with their state labour
unions, in which while the minimum wage
was not strictly adhered to, the prevailing
minimum wage was however reviewed
upwards.
We can deduce therefore that not all
states in Nigeria adhere strictly to the
minimum wage review. The point here is
that at no time have all or even most
governors agreed to pay or comply with
the ₦18,000 minimum wage.
Surviving on ₦600 a day
Now, to the contentious minimum wage,
which is but ₦18,000, an amount that
when divided by thirty days amounts to
₦600 per day. That amount is, to say the
least, not enough for a full-grown adult to
take care of self and meet daily needs. To
think that some families depend on that
same amount to make ends meet leaves
one trying to solve the puzzle on how
they do it. What other sacrifice does one
expect of people living in this condition?
So in a way, it is clearly a kind of
inhumanity against fellow man to keep
placing a demand on him to make all the
sacrifices. That is against fairness and
natural justice.
Nigerian governors are some of the
wealthiest Nigerians for several reasons,
specifically because of the funds they
control in their respective states. State
governors live profoundly extravagant
lives regardless of unfavourable economic
trend. All Nigerian state governors have
security votes running into tens of
millions, sometimes hundreds of millions,
the dwindled allocation does not affect
that.
Our governors move in convoys of
numerous cars, the majority of which are
very expensive sports utility vehicles.
Nigerian governors do not pay house rent
as they live in government lodges or are
accommodated at the expence of the
state. No governor in Nigeria fuels the
cars he uses with his own money. The
generators in the government lodges,
feeding and all other expenses are run
with state funds. They receive allowances
for virtually everything, including recharge
cards for phone calls.
In other words, our governors are the
true beneficiaries of government
subsidies. Even though this is elegantly
illogical, it is the reality. In Nigeria, for
some reasons, the rich, affluent
government officials who do not need any
form of subsidy are the ones who have
everything subsidized or, more succinctly
put, given to them for free and… wait for
it… as a right!
This is not just about governors living in
lodges and not paying rent, but about
certain pattern — the perception of the
weaker members of the society, in this
case the workers, as the ones who should
make sacrifices and continue to. Can’t our
governors lead by example? Can’t they
put their security votes on the table?
Can’t they surrender all those jumbo
allowances? Can’t they reduce the
number of cars in their convoys to, say,
three and save serious costs? Can’t they
ensure more probity with the funds in
their coffers? Can’t our governors also
source for ways to increase their
internally generated revenue?
That is exactly where we should start
from! By looking in the right direction and
doing the needful. You will agree with me
that before it gets to the point of workers
surrendering their diminutive take home,
the situation would have been firmly
rounded up.
