Okorocha and the Suspended Imo Workers

OKOROCHA AND THE SUSPENDED IMO WORKERS

     Several Imolites and Nigerians in general have in different occasions voiced out their feelings on the above topic or issue of the moment as it pleased their individual selves either in the interest of the affected state or based on their personal interests. It‘s against this backdrop that I considered it wise that it’s time I spoke, solely for the interest of Imo state at large.

     Ordinarily I would have chosen to remain silent at this juncture owing to the fact that I detest commenting on a very sensitive issue in haste. But considering the way the polity is being overheated as regards the said ordeal, I was left with no other choice than to break my silence so that Imo would move forward just as its citizens anticipate.

      It was penultimate year that the Gov Rochas Okorocha’s led administration came up with the intention of concessioning most of the government parastatals and departments in Imo State – a matter which I candidly aired my view the moment the news arrived my desk. At a point, I almost took it personal because I perceived how sensitive the motive was. Thousands of concerned Imolites both home and abroad reacted towards the fortunate or unfortunate proposal, which never augured well with the state labour union,

      First; I want to let us comprehend fully the difference between deregulation and concession. The former is the act of selling off a certain government firm or parastatal to an interested private investor or entrepreneur due to one or two reasons. Whilst, the latter is the practice of leasing the management of a particular government firm or parastatal to an interested private investor/entrepreneur for a stipulated or given period of time owing to one or two reasons.

      Similarly, it’s also worthy for us to note that there’s what is called Public-Private Partnership; this arrangement or measure is quite different from the aforementioned ones, though a bit similar to concessioning. In a Public-Private partnership, the government leases the management of a particular section of a certain firm or parastatal to a private investor for a given period of time.

     
For instance; in the Nigeria’s power sector when the former name National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) was changed to Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), what was actually involved was public-private partnership or concessioning of a certain section in the sector. Power supply involves three major segments which are: the generation, transmission, and distribution segments/phases; these three sections are what guarantee power supply or electricity. So what the federal government did was that it concessioned the distribution segment of the power sector to a private investor.

      Various factors could lead to deregulation, concessioning or public-private partnership, as the case may be. It could be as a result of economic meltdown; in this situation, the affected government may not have the financial muscle to continue with the day-to-day running of the firm/parastatal. It could also be as a result of futility on the part of the firm; in this perspective, the government would be propelled to seek for private management with a view to improving the strength of the available man power. The power sector distribution section was concessioned owing to this factor (futility).

     
Among all, it could be as a result of corruption or docility among the management or the overall staff of the parastatal in question; in this situation, the government would prefer a private ownership or overseer in order to help correct or address the anomaly. The obvious advantage of this very measure is that, the private overseer would have more time to monitor the staff or the entire labour force thereby ascertaining their paramount plights or needs with the aim of confronting any ongoing lapses, ineffectiveness or inefficiency among them, or avoiding the occurrence of any of the menaces in future. In a nutshell, private management helps tremendously in blocking leakages or loopholes thereby improving the productivity level as well as economic status of the affected parastatal.

       Few weeks ago, the Imo State government announced the firms or parastatals that have been successfully concessioned to various private investors; the affected parastatals were asked to bear with the government. At the moment, the fundamental matter arising is no longer the concessioning, rather the workers of the affected parastatals that were therein suspended indefinitely by the government. Right now, the aggrieved workers whom have publicly decried the ordeal don’t even know what their fate entails.

      As a concerned stakeholder and patriotic Imolite, I was one of the few who supported the government’s move to concession the affected parastatals since the reasons for the proposed concessioning as were given by the government appeared genuine having learnt that the parastatals involved were currently moribund or non-productive thereby making the workers docile, but we must acknowledge the fact that there are some rudimentary conditions that must be reached before a certain firm/parastatal is concessioned by the government.

      It’s either you reabsorb the affected workers into other existing ministries, departments or agencies, or you pay them off which must include all their entitlements and amicably ask them to go home with an unquantifiable apology for the inconveniences; this very approach is expected to be handled with an optimum diplomacy. Unless a worker is found wanting due to a certain corrupt act or he/she is answerable for a certain terrible deed, then he would stand the chance of being laid off without any entitlement or benefit.

      A worker can only be suspended on two crucial grounds: if there’s a questionable character attached to his/her parson, or an investigation is being conducted in respect to his/her office owing to a corrupt practice he/she was accused of; such worker shall remain in suspension until the investigation is duly concluded by the panel set up in that regard. After the investigation if he is found guilty of the accusation, he would be laid off; but on the contrary if he was found innocent, he would be recalled and all the entitlements as well as incentives he had been deprived of while in suspension would be refunded to him immediately without much ado.

     
Now, Imo workers are being suspended without any traceable corrupt practice against their persons or any allegation levelled against them; from my understanding, that is an unfair step thus ought to be reviewed for the interest of the state at large. Even if the government intends to reabsorb them into other sectors or parastatals, as long as their indefinite suspension lasts, they should be entitled to their wages; they may be deprived of their salaries but not wages. Salary is simply the addition of a worker’s wage and his/her allowances; since they don’t go to work anymore, provided they remain bonafide Imo workers, they ought to be entitled to their various wages. Allowances which include transport, wardrobe, accommodation, health, and what have you, are only consequential if/when a worker is productive.

    
The Imo government need to revisit this austerity measure in order to salvage the affected poor Imolites from this traumatic and poignant state, after all the governor has ab initio been reckoned with as the people’s governor thus is expected to act accordingly. A governor whom has bagged several awards due to his extreme passion for the masses and the downtrodden is unarguably expected not to sleep while the said masses are seriously crying foul. We all truly understand that he is trying as well as working assiduously towards rescuing Imo State in its entirety but he must also consider the consequences of his actions in the process. Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

 

         

Nigeria, Which Way from Here?

NIGERIA, WHICH WAY FROM HERE?

     
Currently in the Nigerian polity especially on the socio-political platform, several unthinkable scenes have transpired in different occasions since the present administration assumed duty ranging from the #DasukiGate to rapid fall of the crude oil price, hiking of the petrol pump price, reemergence of Biafran agitation and Niger-Delta militancy, the governors’ protest over continued payment of the #18000 minimum wage, the alleged abrupt disappearance of original copy of the 2016 appropriation bill from the National Assembly, the ongoing drowsy physiognomy  of the Nigeria’s foreign exchange, among others too numerous to mention thereby posing a great threat to the country’s economy.

     
The aforementioned seemingly foreseen anomalies had made many of the country’s citizens both home and in the diaspora coupled with concerned observers to unequivocally insinuate that Nigeria has encroached her doomed state. Though such presumption or insinuation presently preoccupying the mindset of the majority of Nigerians might not be unconnected to the fact that quick assertion of conclusion to happenings is peculiar to the human nature, but it’s worthy to note that that isn’t a wholesome perception; hence, not acceptable.

     
Every sane being as well as anyone who thinks good of this country otherwise known as the ‘giant of Africa’ ought to be concerned with the way forward from this vertex of quagmire that seems not unlike a paradox. To this end, it’s needless to state that the topic of this piece was informed by this very fact – acknowledging the inevitable role of way forward in a situation like this.

       In any circumstance, while searching for the most viable way of settling a crisis or putting a holistic end to any menace, it is imperative to firstly ascertain the origin or rudimentary causes of the plight in question; therefore the ongoing societal crises in Nigeria won’t be an exception. In view of this obvious fact, there’s a compelling need for us to look inwards with a view to unraveling the genesis of this apparently poignant odyssey solely begotten by the country’s democratic era.

      
Thus, before seeking for the way out, the paramount question is, how did we get here? In some quarters, people are of the view that these predicaments are attributable to the 16-year misrule of the acclaimed largest political party in Africa – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP); some persons in their understanding are preoccupied with a belief that these plights are attributed to so much promises made by the ruling party – the APC; on another axis, people believe that most of the ongoing crises were occasioned by Nigeria’s unending sole dependence on the oil sector. Among all, some schools of thought are strongly of the opinion that the origin of this state of poignancy is traceable to the presumed high level of docility that marred the Goodluck Jonathan’s leadership.

      If I must be vocal or if I’m bound to speak wholly, in a concise term I would say that there are two major factors responsible for all these brouhahas currently ravaging all facets of our economy. One of the factors is that those whom are negatively affected by the ongoing anti-graft war or whom have perceived a ‘witch-hunt’ as the case may be have vowed to make the country ungovernable by the President Mohammadu Buhari’s led administration.

     
The second factor is scepticism; many Nigerians are still sceptical over the established notion that President Buhari was the awaited Messiah; people are still sceptical over the sincerity surrounding the ongoing colossal anti-corruption cases; the electorate are sceptical over the anticipated actualization of the 2016 proposed budget; people are still sceptical if this administration truly has a genuine agenda that would lead this country to the anticipated promised-land. Therefore, the two factors are: the wrong use of opposition in a democratic dispensation as well as scepticism on the part of the electorate which is not unusual. Any interregnum often yields scepticism, apprehension, uncalled fear and what have you.

      Undoubtedly, in a situation like this, it is the prerogative of everyone to nurture or be entitled to his/her own opinion. But for the interest of Nigeria whom is already crying foul, we are not meant to be concerned or bothered over people’s personal opinions rather how to salvage them from this untold hardship irrespective of whose ox is gored. Thus at this juncture, the most consequential and rational question becomes, which way from here?

     
For the present administration to be thoroughly described and recognized as a responsible and responsive administration, it must be willing and ready to absorb constructive criticism, which remains an inevitable veritable tool in nation-building. It is expected to spread its hands open for any form of criticism that is aimed at addressing any anomaly or ill.

      In the same vein, the administration must at all cost be willing to adhere to the principle guiding the rule of law. If anyone detained by the EFCC or the DSS has reached or tendered all the required conditions for him to be bailed, he should be released without much ado prior to when next he would needed for further scrutiny or interrogation; it is only the military that does not understand the language of bail. To restrict the person’s movement afterwards or after the bail, they must endeavour to seize his/her International Passport or travelling documents.

      And anyone who is still in detention that pleads to be allowed to see his doctor abroad or claims to be passing through a severe medical condition, should be allowed to travel out but in custody of the DSS, EFCC or ICPC as the case might be, or better still his doctor should be invited from abroad to attend to him in the cell. We must note that the person’s health condition is very crucial in such situation; a detainee must be medically sound to enable him/her pass through any stress during arraignment. In other words, one must be alive to attend to any query.

     
More so, the government ought to be prepared to charge accused persons to court because Nigerians can’t wait to witness such scenario. Everyone yearns for pragmatic and tangible approach towards tackling corruption, and unarguably it is only the judiciary that can showcase the anticipated scene. Corrupt people shouldn’t just return the stolen monies and be allowed to go scourge free; if such tradition is to be upheld, subsequently public office holders would attempt to steal more public funds in their custodies since they would only be asked to return them thereafter.

       Regarding the renewed Biafran agitation, I urge the government to handle the matter with extreme diplomacy. First, it ought to endeavour to unravel what actually prompted the reemergence of a protest that is believed to have faded off long ago, after all the aggrieved group in question have a constitutional right to ask for freedom if they feel marginalized; hence they deserve a fair hearing. Thus, the treasonable felony established against the leader of the IPOB, Mr Nnamdi Kanu should be reviewed in earnest for the interest of Nigeria in its entirety.

     
Above all, the 2016 proposed budget was estimated on the targeted oil benchmark of $38 per barrel but right now, the oil benchmark is already $27 per barrel and it is liable to fall further; this simply implies that for the said budget to be feasible when duly implemented, the government must not compromised every effort targeted towards diversification of the sources of the country’s economy. Against this backdrop, I enjoin the government to take the education, health, tourism and agricultural sectors as priorities; the aforesaid sectors that were maltreated in the past need to be strengthened headlong.

     
The educational arena requires a drastic upgrade in order to encourage entrepreneurship drive among our young ones; the health sector cannot be neglected because ab initio billions of naira are invariably sent to foreign nations by the rich for payment of medical treatments to the detriment of our foreign reserve. This country is blessed with enormous cultural heritage, hence should be harnessed for the sake of tourism. The governors, rather than depending solely on the federal allocation should also be mandated to follow suit as regards diversification of their IGRs in their respective states to enable them not to see the continued payment of the #18000 minimum wage as a far-fetched concernment.

       On their part, the electorate must learn how to use civil language while tendering lamentations, criticisms, protests, media commentaries and so on, if truly they pray and earnestly seek for a salvaged Nigeria. At least the political wills being showcased by this administration deserve some credit or kudos; thus let’s exercise a little faith while we wait, after all Rome wasn’t built in a day. Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor