Bayelsa Salary Debacle: Where Is Ben Bruce? By Goke Butika

"If we are in poverty, we can lie our way through, but we should elect not to embark on hypocrisy and conspiracy because of the consequence of death,"----Ifa panegyrics.

President Muhammadu Buhari while explaining the parlous state of economy in Nigeria pointed to the fact that 27 states of out 36 have difficulty in paying workers' salaries, ascribing the challenge to the crash of crude oil price and zero productivity, and it was widely reported in all dailies and electronic media.

Last week, an interesting headline seized front pages, that workers in oil rich Bayelsa state with eight Local Government council Areas were resorting to begging for survival as a result of delay in salaries close to six months. Whereas, Oyo state, one of the biggest states in the country has entered into a deal of placing all his allocations from the federation account for salaries alone in order to halt an imminent strike.

In a related development, while the nation's currency was taking plunge for US dollar, the President and his team became sleepless on the drama of death at the forex market, but Buhari appeared clever in this game of baiting as he extends the country's net of international engagement to the East, particularly China, the second economic super power of the world as against the pressure from the West on him to reduce the value of naira.

However, what appears to be troubling "Ajebamidele" is different from his son. While Ajebamidele was thinking of making more money for the family, the son wanted more food. While the President was losing sleep to fix the country in response to the cry of the millions, the representatives of the same people at the National Assembly were busy padding national budget with secret projects that would get them more money to make statement of "new arrival" on the political permutation of their states; don't ask me about the intention of top national assembly members who want to become governors in 2018/19 in their states.  At the same time, the Senate under the leadership of the embattled Senator Bukola Saraki was struggling to alter two bills: Code of Conduct Bureau/Tribunal (CCB/T) and Administration of Criminal Justice.

To the best of my knowledge, the first bill must be altered to help the Senate President who has run from frying pan to furnace with a view to evading  justice on his alleged criminal past at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, while the second bill must be quickly passed to return the snaily speed of justice which could make Saraki's case last eternity. And I found my justification in the words of Ekiti Senator-Ekiti again! Biodun Olujinmi, the impeached deputy governor to Ayo Fayose-Fayose again! She said: "If you don't help your neighbor when his house is burning, you will not get help when the fire reaches your house." In one piece,  the Senate of the Federal Republic has become "stock exchange market for corruption."

Yes, some critics have their misgivings about the China deal, but yours sincerely thumb up for it, because it makes sense to say that an import dependent nation like Nigeria must get its Maths right. We import over 80 percent of wares from China, but used US dollar to denominate the transactions, making the naira to be chasing the dollar that would later be changed to yuan, Chinese currency. In the exchange, naira gets weaker, dollar gets stronger. Now, with the new deal, Nigerian importer would exchange naira for Chinese yuan at rate of N30 for a yuan, the import would be done with ease; machinery for local industries would be procured at cheaper rate; while dollar would have rest from hot chase, and possibly relax and reflex on its hike, and the economy would be on its legs again. If I am wrong, let the economists fault my argument and come up with convincing one.

Let it be known that the narratives I have read about the other side of arguments against the China deal seem to be planted by the looters who had stocked looted dollars in their soak aways with a view to be selling it at higher rate for the benefit of their families alone. But the analyses above were not even the hit of this piece, the meat is to draw out the "common sense" Senator Ben Bruce who once mocked State of Osun on national media that he would be donating his wardrobe allowance to its workers in sympathy to their agitation on delayed salaries, that Bayelsa, his home state where he represents could not pay for ten months now at the Local Governments and six months at the state level, and common sense suggests that Bruce begins to release his jumbo salary to the workers there.

Today, Rauf Aregbesola, Governor of Osun who was their boot of jokes some months back while he declared that the nation's economic downturn has hit his state badly has found his template for fixing his remaining  projects, paying though not regularly, the reworked salaries known as "afusa" pejoratively means half salaries for some categories of workers, and enjoying his peace with work force in the state, while watching states with bigger allocations with "nosa" pejoratively means no salary with justifiable concern.

The long and short of my story is that Nigerians should know that we are in a dire strait, the country is in need of collective will and unalloyed support, and certainly the support for a better Nigeria would not come from the National Assembly, because the guys there want to be rich quick at the expense of the vulnerable citizens. So, it is high time we rose to support Nigeria project under President Buhari.

Butika is a journalist of intercontinental exposure.

Economy Diversification: Aregbesola Set New Pace, Resurrects Ede Cocoa Processing Industry

Gov. Rauf Aregbesola During An Inspection Tour at the
Revived Cocoa Processing Industry In Ede, Osun State

Setting a new pace in the present administration of President Muhammadu's resolved to diversify the Nigerian economy, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has resurrected the dead cocoa industry in Ede, an anciat town in Osun State

Taking the Osun Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, round the company today, the Assistant General Manager of the partner company, Shanghai Golden Minkey Group, China, Ms Song Lin said the production capacity is now 20,000 tons per annum which was raised from the former 5,000 tons when they started with.

She revealed that the company is presently producing cocoa paste, adding that in no time, the organisation would commence the production of both cocoa powder and cake.

Ms Lin also affirmed that as soon as the company installs more facilities, the company would definitely jerk up its production capacity.

Gov. Rauf Aregbesola During An Inspection Tour at the
Revived Cocoa Processing Industry In Ede, Osun State

While acknowledging the management of the company for living up to the expectation, Governor Aregbesola expressed delight that a company that has been out of operation for the past fifteen years is now working perfectly.

He expressed satisfaction over the work so far. He said the state stands a chance of becoming a hub of cocoa production in the country.

He further said “From my projection, I want them to increase the strength of their production by consistently taking their production from liquid to power and cake”

Gov. Rauf Aregbesola Addressing Cocoa Farmers
Yesterday at their Farmland in Osun

“With this production, the name of our state will be on the map of the world as a centre of excellence in the processing of cocoa and other products.

“Though the maximum capacity of this plant when it was upgrade last in 2001 was 5, 000 tons but now it produces 20, 000 tons.

He expressed optimism that the revival of the cocoa company would support agricultural efforts and economic drive of government; as well as empower Osun cocoa farmers and merchants.

Osun Is A Victim Of His History, Says Speaker

State appears to be contending with different challenges of which national cash crunch seems to be the catalyst for the bitten feud among the contending parties in the state. No sooner the lecturers of the state tertiary institutions dropped their gauntlets than the tension between the doctors and the government reached a feverish pitch.
However, one institution which has been midwiving industrial peace is the State House of Assembly under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam. Our reporter tracked the Speaker and interrogated  issues raging on in the state with him. Except:

Q: State of Osun appears to be in mess with huge debt which has eaten deep into the federal allocation of the state, making it to go empty handed every month, what is your take on this?

Salaam: In the first place, the state is not in mess, but a victim of dialectics of production and history and I will explain: when the country was operating a loose federation,  agriculture and taxation were the mainstay of the economy of all the regions then with comparative advantage, and I read that Chief Obafemi Awolowo as the Premier of Western region was able to develop the region with sophisticated infrastructure and technology ahead of many countries.
 I learnt that the western region got its television before France and many countries called developed nations now. So, each region had its fate in its hand, but now we are practising unitary system couched in federalism, suffice to say that we are practising feeding bottle federalism, which dictates that the centre would be spoon-feeding the states from a common wallet, and if the same centre crashes, the states crashes.
So, the federal has crashed now in terms of fiscal responsibility, monetary policy and imbalance of trade. Meanwhile, the military interregnum had not helped the matter, because they got the oil boom, quick cash and negated taxation and agro-economy.
Unfortunately,  the long neglect of agriculture has made our relations with land tedious, except few who have seen the future, and the previous governments failed to re-institutionalize agriculture and the culture of taxation. So, now that the government is making conscious effort to rejig the two fundamentals of revenue generation, something appears strange to us.
So, the state is only bearing the brunt of our collective infractions, because we would be guilty of verdict of posterity if we continue to cling with the past which I describe as micro-managing poverty. Yes, some people are complaining about the debt profile of the state of Osun, some even thought we found ourselves in this difficult financial meltdown because of debt, but it takes anyone with deep mind to see the trickle-down effect of infrastructural renewal, and its link with assured future.
Yet, the debt has its bitting effect now, but the denial in of limited liquid cash we are subjected today in the state would leverage for promising tomorrow.

Q: But workers claim they were getting half salaries, marketers are crying of low patronage, and this financial difficulty seems to have lowered the morale of the citizens who supported Governor Aregbesola at the last governorship election, and here we are, you are talking about the promising tomorrow, how?

Salaam: Look, I am the Speaker of the state parliament, as the effect of hard time hits the people, it touches me double, because it has a multiplier effects on personal and collective demands from our constituencies, it rubs on our political clout as leaders and it is not good for our rating in the public, but one fact stands, governance is not about public opinion, it is about taking hard decisions. To the best of my knowledge, this government borrowed for capital projects, and we have seen some completed, some are still work-in-progress. So, what we owe now would be smaller if compare to the value obtainable from the projects tomorrow.
Yes, our workers are enduring, and it is hurtful that our financial power has weakened terribly, but i still have to commend the workers and identify with them on their rare sacrifices and love for this state; for showing understanding about the matrix of our productive topsy-turvy and economic meltdown. However, let it sink that we are right now experiencing national economic crisis, and no arm or tier of government is spared.
As we speak, I read that judges of federal courts have not been paid; I read that 26 states have not paid state stipends to their allocated youth corp members; salaries are not regularly paid in almost 29 states. Even, an oil state with 13 percent derivative with just eight local governments is rolling policies that would cut of a lot of incentives for workers. So, it is a national experience.
Speaking to your emotional outburst on how, I would tell you that the present situation has no deduction with the last governorship election won by Gov. Aregbesola, though we can infer that people yearn for more development and incentives like free meal for their children in public schools, stipends for the aged, support for widows, micro credit facilities for their small scale trade and so on. All those incentives cost huge money, and the cash is no longer forthcoming due to catastrophe in oil market which is our sole economic mainstay. Therefore, it is a case of temporal  truncated dream.
Let's formulated so questions for the cynics: should a governor be elected to manage poverty? Should a government be instituted to service the interest of the few with our collective resources? Should we encourage the government to borrow for consumption or life changing projects? Should we encourage utilitarian rule, or mob rule? All these questions are many tough choices a governor must contend with. But, we should not blame anyone until we are able to understand his or her state of mind.

Q: What can be done to remedy Osun situation now?

Salaam: Osun as a state is not faring bad as projected by the critics and perceived by some elements. So, I think the question we should ponder our mind on are some fundamentals before we crosses examine the superstructure. The fundamentals here start from causes of our challenges. Let's begin from the architecture of our nationhood. Do we still need this compromised federal structure or we should reconfigure it. Are we ready to surrender measured independence to the federating units, for each state to source its  revenue and negotiate with its workers, and design its own security architecture or do we retool to the regional government laced with parliamentary democracy of Pre and post independence? These are the fundamental questions that could have compelled some people to insist on the the outcome of the last Jonathan conference. Good as it sounds, the conference was  midwifed by compromised representation, and has no legal status. So, it was more or less a "committee of finding something for the leaders." That rubbed on the deliberations of the conference.
 However, I am glad President Buhari has subscribed to the calls for economic conference, I am confident that credible people, experts, budget historians, economists, and policy makers and policy executors would be assembled, and who knows, some of the fundamental issues may come out there.
Having settled that, then we can now talk of what will become of individual state. As touching Osun, I can assure you that we are brainstorming on the way out of the wood. In the first place, we have agreed that our challenges could not be removed through oil money. So, we are working on agriculture as an alternative, but Gov. Aregbesola disposes more to intellectual commodity, and it will soon pay off. Do not bother about it, because I would not expatiate on it. Certainly, Osun will soon be out of the wood.

Q: We learnt that the government has sacked hundred of workers in the polytechnics and colleges of education, it was also said that the House of Assembly intervened, what is the situation now?

Salaam: Aside from making laws and oversight functions, resolution of conflict has been added to our schedule ever since I have taken the mantle of leadership in the state parliament. Yes, there was conflict between some staff of these institutions and their governing boards plus managements, and some of the staff were right-sized, according to information available to us, but because existence was attached to the struggle; we elected to mediate and files are being screened to know who did what, and by the time the committee ends its investigation, all parties would consider our position on the matter a fair deal.

Q: What about the issue of striking doctors?

Salaam: we are intervening on it as well, and we are talking to the doctors to place the interest of the state above interest of the few. Yes, it is their inalienable right to demand for appropriate wage and other incentives to work, but all conflicts need a compromise. Our doctors are expected to reconsider their hard line stance, while we are ready to support them on their struggle based on reality on ground.
It pains me that the situation is turning out like this, but I think it would be encouraging if they resume and come to the table according the demand of their employer. If that is done, we shall ready to check the two extremes: doctors' interest and the position of the employer with a view to placing the justifications on the resources available. I trust our doctors, I have many of them as friends, and I can understand their plight, but they are part of us, the larger society. Therefore, they would certainly bear with us. Our mission now is to prevail on both sides to come to the table with justifiable points, not closed mindset.

Q: How come the governor has not constitute his cabinet for close to 16 months now?

Salaam: Governor is the Chief executive, by constitution who has the power to hire and fire. Unfortunately, the constitution does not stipulate when a governor could constitute cabinet. Besides, he knows when and why his cabinet must be constituted; the core if it is that the business of the governance has not stopped, but I would not dabble into the issue, because I am the head of legislature, mine is to receive governor's correspondences on how he is faring on his job, not to speak on his job description.

Q: If the business of governance is progressing as you rightly stated, how are the decisions concerning Governor in council taken? Would it not amount to illegality to be approving projects and other demanding decisions with cabinet.

Salaam: Let it be known that we have Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff, Head of Service and Permanent Secretaries in place.  Call it the defect of constitution, I have not read while the hiring or not  of Commissioners would make any decision illegal, but I am confident the governor would soon make the list of his Commissioners available to me. More so, the delay could be  as result of restructuring of ministries, reduced to cut cost. On a compassionate ground, this man (Aregbesola) should not be vilified on some things, because he understands what it takes to maintain a Commissioner, and he knows clearly he does not have the luxury now. People should know that Aregbesola is compassionate and very rational on the way he does his things.
Look, I am not defending the governor, because he is capable of doing that himself, but we must not be fault finder, the state of mind must tally with the state of affairs. So, I urge the cynics and critics to use their heads and dissect the material condition before formulating opinion on anyone.

Q: Why the local governments in the state have not been democratically constituted in the last five years?

Salaam: litigation and fund. Litigation in the sense that for years, the state electoral body constituted by Gov. Oyinlola's government were thrown out for not properly constituted, and they went to court to test the validity of the claim, and the matter was dragged up to supreme court. By the time the governor constituted another OSSIEC, we had run into the economic bad weather, and election cost huge money. Can a state that owes salaries of workers prioritize election? So, it could not have been deliberate, it is extenuating circumstance.

Q: Some critics believe that, the councils  were not democratically constituted because the Governor was using their funds for his projects, and that House of Assembly has been compromised by the selected councils' officials?

Salaam: trust me, I don't play the critics' ball, because it is convenient to criticize anyone in power. I had been in opposition and I know that there is no way people in opposition could get the matrix of governance right. However, not to evade your question, I know for sure that nothing could be done with state and council funds without the knowledge of the parliament, and I have not found the governor wanting, but anyone has a piece of evidence as touching the allegation, let the fellow present it, and I promise you we will investigate. As for the compromise of the House of Assembly, those who think or had conceived that I could be compromised do not know me. In the place, I must have been the poorest Speaker among the 36 state Houses of Assembly, not because I do not need money, but because I have conquered my greed. Besides, I have a background that provides me the two sides of life. I was raised as an orphan from a humble background by God's unmerited favour on me, I am comfortable now without swindling people or government, without abusing my office or deploy my influence for wealth acquisition, and I could say without equivocation that I am micro-distributing the little resources at my disposal. So, I don't have acquiring wealth through dubious mean, there is no integrity in that, and by my faith, I know that an individual would account for his action before his Lord. From those premises, you can conclude that I would be difficult to compromise at the expense of the people, and I don't compromise who will compromise my colleagues? After all, the buck stops on my table at the parliament.

Q: So, what is the agenda of the sixth assembly under you?

Salaam: We have set our agenda already and we have hit the grounding now. Let me avail you our agenda, one we have set in motion, machinery that is deliberating on how our state would be rescued from the jaw of economic downturn, and this machinery would soon unfold feasibility study that would be forwarded to the executive for perusal. Two, we have stepped up our oversight functions which keep an eagle eye on all projects. Three, we are embarking on the overhauling of criminal codes of the state, because the one in place is deficient if compare to the hi tech crime the non-conformists are committing. Four, we are working on democratizing lawmaking, a process that would tap the opinions of the majority stakeholders, and we have elected to pick third party role in any conflict that could truncate the prevailing peace in the state.

BREAKING: Osun Creates Additional 31 LCDAs, Dissolves LG Caretaker C'ttee

The Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola this morning announced the creation of 31 local council development area in additional to the existing 31 Local Government in the state.

Aregbesola in a state-wide broadcast this morning also announced the dissolution of all caretaker committee members with immediate effect.

BELOW IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE BROADCAST:

My good people of Osun,

I am very happy to announce to you certain changes we are making at the local government system, in answer to the legitimate demands you have placed before us.

The importance of the local government cannot be overstated. It is where the government is designed to be closest to the people. While you need to follow some protocols for reasons of security and tight schedule before having an audience with a minister, a state governor or the president, you can walk in on your local government chairman or other officials of council.

Also, because the geographical space of the local government makes it the smallest unit of administration, it is easier to get things done at this level.

The local government is also the ideal training ground for political leadership. A presidential candidate has to travel round the country’s 36 states and Abuja while a governorship aspirant must tour all the local governments in his state. However, a chairmanship candidate only needs to cover his local government and the councillor just his ward.

In a democratic society, a citizen should be able to contribute to the administration of his or her local government in a meaningful way more than is possible at higher levels. A voice can be easily heard and a little gesture can be easily felt at the local government, than at the state or national levels.

In the advanced western democracies, the local government controls the police and provides municipal services like housing and physical planning, environmental sanitation, water, markets, healthcare and education. Some of these services are already being provided by the councils. Though we are not fully there yet but we are on the path and if we keep at it, we will get there.

Our communities also recognise the importance of the local government in development. This is why their various traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth leaders, market leaders and women leaders never cease to ask us to expand the platform of the local government in order to enhance their participation.

We carefully considered their request and set in motion the process for acceding to their demands. On June 18, 2012 we inaugurated a committee headed by Prof Mojeed Alabi, a former speaker of the State House of Assembly, to look into the modalities for creating more councils in accordance with the wishes of the people. That committee received 71 memoranda requesting new councils. It wrapped up its assignment and submitted its report on October 26, 2012. In April 2013, we set up a review committee headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, to look into the Alabi committee’s report. After this, we sent the request to the state House of Assembly in form of an executive bill. The House also looked into the bill, set up a committee on it and subsequently, a referendum was held on February 19, 2015 in which the people of the state overwhelmingly gave a yes vote on the bill. After this, the house passed a bill creating 31 new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), three Area Councils and two Administrative Offices. I have since signed this bill into law. The requests for new councils have been granted; all constitutional requirements have been met and the prescribed procedure followed to the letter.

My good people, I am pleased to inform you therefore that in place of the old order of only 30 local governments and an Area Office, we now have additional 31 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), three Area Councils and two Administrative Offices in accordance with the requests which you democratically placed before us. The list of the new LCDAs, Area Councils and Administrative Offices, their territories and headquarters will be published soon and is also available at the State House of Assembly, Ministry of Local Governments, Chieftaincy, Water Resources, Rural and Community Affairs and Local Government Service Commission.

The management committees made up of the executive secretaries, deputy executive secretaries, scribes, members and special advisers have acted excellently, astutely managed scarce resources and faithfully served their communities. However, financial and other considerations have forced us to adopt a new parliamentary system which is compact, efficient and better, in the present circumstance. The management committees of the 30 Local Councils and Area Office are hereby dissolved and their Executive Secretaries, deputy executive secretaries, members, Special Advisers and other functionaries removed.

In the interim, the entire local government system will be managed by Council Managers for three months. These managers shall be appointed and deployed by Local Government Service Commission from among the substantive grade level 14 officers in the local governments. Grade level 15 officers and above at the local governments should consequently report to the Local Government Service Commission for further briefing.

GOV. RAUF AREGBESOLA OF OSUN STATE

Many would be wondering and asking: why create more councils at this special time of financial challenges? We have also given sufficient consideration to this. With this new parliamentary system, it will cost less to run the new councils and save a lot of money for the government than in the past.

The primary responsibilities of our new local government system are sanitation, market management and revenue mobilisation and generation. This is consistent with local government administration worldwide.

The beauty of this new system is its parliamentary nature, which requires the chairman and the vice chairman to be elected by the councillors from among their own ranks, thereby saving cost. We shall therefore be saving a huge cost with this new system.

In addition, the same number of staff will still run all the councils, as no new appointments will be made to existing ones. We shall make the most judicious use of our revenues in such a way that increasing the number of councils will least constitute any financial burden.

I will like to thank the executive secretaries of the 30 councils and area office that have just dropped the baton, for service well rendered to their communities, our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and humanity at large. They have been part of our development efforts and I am proud of them all.

I will also like to thank the honourable members of the state House of Assembly, especially the Speaker, Rt. Honourable Najeemdeen Folasayo Salaam, for meticulously and favourably looking at our proposal for a more enhanced council system.

I will like to thank you all, especially at the grassroots. These are my people, the farmers, women and women groups, market women and men, civil servants, teachers, senior citizens, traders, artisans, workers, students, transporters, drivers, commercial motorcyclists, traditional rulers, community leaders and religious leaders; for your support at all times, for your faith in us and your unyielding desire for increased participation at the local government. We are a great people and we shall not cease to do great things.

Let me remind you once again of the need to support the government maximally by paying your taxes, levies and dues.

I thank you all for your kind attention.

Osun a dara!