Mr Abdulwahed Omar, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), would have probably counted the successful passage of the Minimum Wage Bill in the National Assembly as one of his achievements as the year winds up. But it is doubtful if the consequent fallouts have not made the bill rather distasteful. The implementation is costing much more than the increment itself can bear. The masses, some of who may never benefit from the struggle, are holding the shorter end of the stick. First is the on-going debate on the removal of fuel subsidy for which the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is in the cutting teeth of criticism. The president’s economic team, in a bid to preempt a possible inflationary reaction, among other technical explanations, sees the removal as expedient. Labour, however, thinks differently. Nigeria is too rich, too naturally endowed for its citizenry to earn anything less than N18,000. And if members of parliament are living big, civil servants who are the geese that lay the golden eggs are no second-class citizens. For some of the states that are still lingering and dithering, the alibi is that their credit facility is too weak to support such salary structure. But as labour is pulling all available strings to subject their Excellencies to the agreement, several state governments are resorting to crude stratagems and acting unadvisedly.
Abia State has tacitly implied it no longer believes in the unity of Nigeria. The government gave orders that all non-natives be sacked and sent back to their home states under the pretext of not having enough to go round. To what level the federal government would watch and allow this divisive decree succeed is still a subject for conjecture. The Ebonyi State Government on its part has started suggesting an end to free education in the state beginning with the cessation of financing the certificate exams of its final year secondary school students.
It’s unbelievable that the Chief Martins Elechi-led administration could only think of education as the sector to bear the brunt of maximum rage over minimum wage. The NECO/WAEC failure hall of fame has always depicted the dismal and pitiable condition of education in Ebonyi, nay in Nigeria. Many state governments have been making frantic attempts to raise the standard of education in their states and support education more. Against this backdrop, one would have expected that the Ebonyi State Government would put in place excellence-enhancing measures and inducements to arrest poor academic performance and encourage enviable scholarship among its teeming youths.
Regrettably, the state government appears too myopic and only sees its minimal educational investment as the means to cushion the effect of minimum wage implementation.
The current decision to stop paying examination fees is a huge minus to the state government. The excuse of low Federal Government allocation thaws when one considers the fact that the state government two years ago started paying just 50per cent of the exams fees. With this decision, many of the students would only be able to write one of both exams, thereby jeopardizing their chance of university education, depleting the intellectual capacity of the state which leads to a despicable state of underdevelopment.
There is another dimension to this sad narrative. Ebonyi State is largely rural, hence the majority of its student populace are children of the poor peasants who are not on the payroll of any government parastatal. What this means is that the government wants to rob Peter to pay Paul and the teachers appear impervious to the plights of their innocent students. Frustrated Ebonyi State workers want the government to pay minimum wage willy-nilly; the means to this end is inconsequential to them. The implications of all this mind-numbing subterfuge which I doubt Chief Elechi’s government gave serious thought, is that once these poor farmers are hard up (their parents are mostly farmers), the effect will boomerang on the economy of the state as the price of agricultural produce will automatically surge.
From another perspective, is it not possible that this current policy direction could make the students more serious with their studies and go on to achieve academic exploits? No. The environment is not supportive of such a curious twist, although there could be few exceptions. Rather than make them more serious, it would only give them a very good reason not to be in school. It would only increase the illiteracy index of the state. It will only increase the number of drop-outs due to financial inadequacy. It will only portray the state as hypocritical in its much vaunted pursuit of the MDGs of which education is central.
Unfortunately, like many other states, the educational sector of Ebonyi lies prostrate with continuous strike actions. Currently, the state workers are ready for a final showdown with the state government as the Elechi-led administration is not yielding to their agitations, despite his present stringent policies.
I wish to plead with the state governor, Chief Elechi to revoke the decision which is not in the best interest of Ebonyi people whom he vowed to serve on re-election. Those poor, innocent youths who represent the future of the state and of the country deserve more than half payment for their final exams, let alone total removal of support. They may not fully grasp the implications of the removal of fuel subsidy because they make their long distance journeys by leg and bicycle, but they understand fully the removal of education subsidy because their long life’s journey depends on it. They have reposed too much confidence in the Elechi’s government to be let down so cheaply because of the demand of a Union.
However, if the state government decides to stick to its guns and insists education should suffer because of minimum wage, I appeal to the Senators and members of the House of Representatives and of the state Assembly, including successful entrepreneurs in and outside the state to take up the challenge and sponsor the students. There is need for stakeholders to rise up and come to the rescue of their statesmen if they agree with the late renown British politician Robin Cook, who says, “Education is more than a luxury; it is a responsibility that society owes itself”
For the minimum wage imbroglio, I am simply at a loss about all these reactions. It is clear by the time the dust settles on all conflicts generated, the status quo will be maintained. The lots of Nigerians may not have been bettered or buttered since monetary increment does not equate financial empowerment or improved standard of living. The truth is that minimum wage is not living wage! Labour should therefore begin to intensify efforts to campaign for policies with lasting values. Many of its frictions with government have been triggered by monetary discontentment. The leadership needs to be more visionary and proactive so there can be tangible improvement in the well-being of the Nigerian citizens.
Samson, a serving corps member can be reached via childofdkingdom@gmail.com
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