I feel confident to surmise that a majority of Nigeria's economic problems is the result of the lawlessness of some of Nigeria's leaders and some politicians over many years. How else does anyone explain their blatant rejection of responsibility and accountability on the one hand, and warn embrace of bloody-minded impunity, rounded failure, and utter shamelessness on the other. Incompetence and ignorance no longer explain the leaders' delinquency. Choice does.
Governments in Nigeria do not have a funding problem as much as they have allocation and utilization problems. The budgetary functions of allocation and utilization are definitely choices. Funding in some cases can be too. The collapse of crude oil price was always on the cards and has been universal. It was always known that the high prices were not sustainable in the long term given the politics and volatility of international oil trade, and developments in energy technology and environment and climate science. Warnings were sounded and ignored by most of Nigeria's leaders by choice.
Is there anyone who truly believes that these leaders do not know that government debt and especially the remuneration of retired (pensioned) and current government workers (many have no other viable source of income) is a sacred duty of especially elected governments? They do not care. They know they can get away with it. They after all pay themselves and their cronies.
Every worker should be paid for the work they do. The leaders get paid even for the work they do not do. Why not other workers for at least the work that they do?
oa
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-----Original Message-----
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2015 6:47 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Government' salary debt and plight of Nigerian workers
Where is yeyerolling or yellow rolling or whatever the crowd who hides his name to insult people. When weeks ago l said the salary crisis is a product of mismanagement, the guy called me names. He was not the only though but honestly am waiting for him to react to this article like many others that are now saying what a few of us said weeks ago. We all need to engage in some honest conversation about the crisis facing the country today and situate it within some empirical construct.
We are where we are today for three or four reasons
1 our failure to diversify the economy all these years and over dependence on oil
2 gross mismanagement especially at the state and local government level where Governors have no well articulated program of development. Where some were announced they were not followed. Most did what they liked or what their consultant friends brought to them that could give them quick money. This is why all over the country you have abandoned or uncompleted projects. Please read for example page 49 of Daily Trust of today and see what happened in Sokoto under Wamakko, a modern day apostle of change. In typical Nigerian parlance, they failed to cut their clothes according to the material available. The recklessness of the governors have partially brought us to where we are today. We can blame the FGN as much as we can and we will be right to do so but the truth still remains that if the states do not grow or develop the rate of our national growth and development will continue to be slow. This is why we must not be fooled by the pronouncement of some governors but must challenge them to give detailed account of what they did with money from the Federation Account, from their IGR and from the Excess Crude Account which they forced the Yaradua and Jonathan administrations to share. Ngozi did not solely mismanage the ECA, she shared the bulk of it to the states. It is the FGN share we can ask her to account for. period.
3 pervasive or endemic corruption
4 The structure of the country or the political and administrative structures in place.
These include, the number of states and local governments, our uncertainty about whether we have a federal or unitary system. If we can sought out this, perhaps states will fare better. In terms of salaries for example, why can't states pay as per their ability to pay and finally
5 We the people
In so many ways, we're part if not major part of the problem, this include the media.
Sent from my iPad
On Jun 25, 2015, at 6:30 PM, "'kayode Ketefe' via USA Africa Dialogue Series" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
> Government' salary debt and plight of Nigerian workers
>
> KAYODE KETEFE
>
> This definitely is a trying period for Nigerian workers, especially those in the public sector. As I am writing this piece, it is on record about 23 states of the federation are owing workers massive accumulation of unpaid salaries. Many Federal Government workers are suffering the same fate. It was reported that Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Ekiti, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kogi. Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers and Zamfara among other states owe their employees salary arrears of at least six months.
> This is a problem the present government inherited from the last administration. Nigeria, with a population of about 173 million people majority of whom are talented and able-bodied, boasting of largest economy on the African continent and recipient of trillions of petrodollars from her rent economy within the past few decades, leaves many in wonder why any seasonal reduction in income should always spell doom.
> Why should the present drop in the in the price of crude oil in the international market hurl the nation into such an economic strait that states and the central government cannot pay workers' salaries months after months?
> This questions will not elicit any other answer other than a two-word response – "Bad governance" The country has suffered unrelented and cumulative periods of mismanagement of resources, woeful planning, financial recklessness and deep-rooted corruption.
> Last Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari bemoaned this saddening state of affairs when he told reporters last that the last government left for him an empty treasury and thus hinting that Nigerians should not expect any turnaround miracle so soon.
> Buhari had said "This culture of 100 days (in power) is bringing so much pressure, with (the) treasury virtually empty, with debts in millions of dollars, with state workers and even federal workers not paid their salaries."
> A non-governemntal organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and
> Accountability Project (SERAP) has already dragged state governments and the Federal Government to International Labour Organisation (ILO) though a petition complaining grievous breach of fundamental rights of Nigerian workers SERAP stated in its petition thus ""SERAP is seriously concerned that several state governments and the Federal Government of Nigeria are failing and/or refusing to pay workers' salaries and pensioners' entitlements, amounting to billions of dollars in arrears.
> "SERAP contends that the failure and/or refusal of state governments and Federal Government to pay workers' salaries and allowances and pensioners' entitlements is a clear violation of the right to work recognized by various ILO instruments and article 6 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Nigeria is a state party. The right to work is essential for realizing other human rights and forms an inseparable and inherent part of human dignity."
> The position taken by SERAP can hardly be faulted against the background of the now familiar profligacy of the ruling elite right in the face of the impoverished masses. Even under this dispensation, it was recently announced that Nigeria's newly inaugurated National Assembly will receive a whopping 9 billion naira ($45 million) as Wardrobe allowance! This is not among other mouth-watering allowances like Furniture allowance and Car Allowance. And of course, this is outside their normal gargantuan salaries that have fetched them the reputation of the highest paid (some researchers say second highest-paid) legislators in the world!
> Why should Nigerian workers continue to suffer while there is massive profligacy in other areas and by other people?
> But the culture of maltreatment of the worker predated the present tragedy. Even if the owed salaries are paid, it would do very little to improve the lots of workers. By and large, the conditions of workers in this country have always been very far from what they should be. They are still a long shot from what even an average capitalist system could offer. To start with, most of our laws on labour are archaic and, what is more, even the so-called archaic provisions are poorly enforced with the resultant negative impact on the industrial sector.
> Conditions of employment in many Nigerian organisations are still appalling with a good number of employers cashing in on high employment rate to shortchange workers. Only a segment of the workforce could beat their chests for privileged membership of the "gainfully employed" club; majority of the workers are on subsistence mode, working laboriously to keep bodies and souls together.
> The so-called organised private sector is even worse as many employees under multifarious contracts of employments are exploited and denied conventional workers' rights. This is not to talk of the culture of casualisation of workers, which seems to be soaring even in the otherwise strong institutions like banks.
> Whereas under the International Labour Organisation's treaty to which Nigeria is signatory, the rights of workers, otherwise known as labour rights are comprehensively well-enunciated and and protected. Nigeria should not resile from obligations under this treaty.
> The present administration surely has to do more to ease the misery of Nigerian workers than just paying the accumulated salaries.
>
> Ketefe may be followed on twitter @Ketesco
>
>
>
>
>
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