I am a regular visitor to a downtown relaxation centre in Owerri, the Imo State Capital. Apart from unwinding with folks, the gathering in that unique outfit offers me great opportunity for cross fertilization of ideas with other informed minds on current socio-political issues. As part of last week’s “congregation” at the “fellowship centre”, an argument ensued between two “fellows” over the activities and well being of Civil Servants in the state. While one of the contending forces contested that workers in the state are at the receiving end of Governor Rochas Okorocha backlash, his challenger observed that workers are architect of their misfortune.
As the argument raged, I listened with rapt attention while doing justice to what was available on my table. Issues raised during this hot debate will from the basis of my commentary in this week’s Agwodinuju column.
Because I was enjoying the mixed thrills, I decided to employ my philosophy of “no empty bottles” for the duo, by asking the attendant to replace their empty bottles on the table with fresh drinks to enable the resumption of cross fire debate for me to get my points.
It is needless dwelling more on the origin and background of the workforce of the state created in February 3, 1976. Consisting mainly of the inevitable structure that undertakes governmental policies and programmes, civil servants are permanent professionals involved in the day-to-day activities of governments at all levels.
According to the fellow who seemed to be an apologist of the workforce, instead of being on “Rescue Mission” Okorocha is on “Damage Mission” to workers if his approaches to Imo civil servants are anything to go by. He easily cited the reported deduction of workers money for the proto-type compulsory identity card project rocking the state civil service. He argued against the rationale behind the deductions adding that it is a deduction too many after the state government employees have lost some amounts in similar manner for unwarranted purposes. White stating that it is scandalous for a civil servant to forfeit not less than N1000 to state government for an ID card that has N400 street value which an employer is expected to provide, the fellow reiterated several misdeeds meted to workers by the present regime as several allowances advanced to them in the past have become history. “Do you know that the N20,000 minimum wage is a sham?” While labour requested for N18,000 minimum wage, our Governor said Imo has too much money and he shall pay us N20,000. But the N20,000 is Ukaonu matter. A kind of Onyinye Mammywater because it was like the more you look, the less you see movie since we lost all allowances in the name of N20,000 minimum wage we are not receiving”, the embittered young man added.
The fellow I suspected to be a labour unionist used the Community Government Council, CGC, as another case of study in the plot to make Imo workers sacrificial lamb of the Rescue Government. According to him, scores of serving civil servants were dragged to their various autonomous communities in line with the Fourth-tier Government agenda which was against civil service rules.
Speaking further, he posited that the CGC transfer shows government’s utter disregard to workers right as it had already undertaken the exercise before an enabling law permitted the existence of fourth-tier Government in the state.
The fellow went further to reveal that government has a grand design to downsize the workforce by employment stringent measures like reduction of retirement age and cutting the size of ministries, departments and agencies for unfulfilling the Governor’s vile order of generating enough internal revenue under the commercialization policy. Some workers in government establishment is witnessing untold hardship as their Bureaus have been scrapped and no regular monthly pay again.
Finally, he noted that it was this brazen rape of the civil service that warranted the unjust suspension and subsequent sack of a permanent secretary as well as the infamous retirement of 17 Perm Secs, before their retirement age. Even retired civil servants are not left out in government offensive against workers. During the period of filling retirement papers, workers chose a place convenient for them to receive their pensions, but this government in the CGC wahala pushed retirees including those who filled their retirement pay to choice areas, to their various communities even when the pension is not regular and gratuities not paid.
Before the fellow could finish the tale of woes, his associate who could not bear the plethora of complaints gave it back to him that the workers are harbinger of the evil forces befalling them. He disclosed that the political inclination of most workers aided the government in power to bastardize the workforce. Highlighting on the issue, he stated that unlike in the military era where career civil servants upheld the tenets of the service, latter day workers in the state are politically-oriented since our nascent democracy debuted. The opposing fellow noted that most civil servants for want of primitive accumulation and get rich quick syndrome have jettisoned necessary ethics and civil service rule, to partner with politicians in perpetuating illegalities and improper working standard at various government ministries, departments and agencies.
The second fellow who wound be simply described as George went further to express that for want of undeserved frivolities, workers abdicate their official responsibilities thereby becoming a willing tool in the hands of politicians. George queried his partner on who to be blamed for the controversial ID card project and other deductions from workers salary if not them that compute their salaries.
Said he; “I was told that the circular informing civil servants about the proposed compulsory ID card and the deduction from their July salary emanated from the office of the Head of Service. Despite the fact that a contractor or rather consultant was handed the work, the information came from the office of the Head of Service where a seasoned and career administrator presides. It is appalling; it is the workers that are instituting measures for their continued annihilation in the system”
George who is also a career administrator in one of the ministries stated that those who represent the interest of the workers and those incharge of sensitive offices handling their welfare should have resisted such exploitation. He recalled an incident that happened during Udenwa era when a book on the mainstay of the administration of the former Governor called “Tripod Vision” was written. According to him, the writer in concert with some mercantile top civil servants working in Govt House and interested politicians toyed with the idea of imposing the book on workers at a cost of N3,000. The idea did not go down well with the workers’ body who vehemently rejected the compulsory deduction. At the end of the jigsaw, the workers had their way and never parted with any amount for the “Tripod Vision” book.
George observed that the necessary labour unions invested with the powers to protect workers’ interest in the present dispensation have gradually collapsed and no longer viable to play their statutory role of being workers’ defender in the face of oppression.
After several explanations from George, there is no gain saying in the fact that the workers may be suffering from self-destructive tendencies. The relevant bodies responsible for protecting workers’ interest have been fragmented and balkanized thereby making the affected organizations a “toothless bulldog”. To make a mince meat of labour unions, the present administration infiltrated their ranks by poaching some key players from the hierarchy of the workers body. It was this calculated plot that saw an activist, and TUC leader, Comrade Aharanwa getting a permanent secretary job in the office of the Deputy Governor. NLC Chairman, Comrade Reginald Anyadike in a radio programme of the state-owned station, IBC, while denying allegations of compromise did confess that his relationship with the Deputy Governor was borne out of past affinity and not geared towards mortgaging the interest of the workers. It was this suspicion of betrayal that created altercations among the various unions prompting the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) to take a radical posture for workers’ salvation. The war of attraction ravaging labour unions in Imo state came to the fore during this year’s May Day Celebration. To express indignation over the inglorious award of excellence given to Governor Okorocha, a section of the union, the JNC led by Comrade Coleman Okwara backed out and won in the ego war when it embarked on strike action few days after the Okorocha award. Instead of joining forces with JNC to protest Government indifference to their plight, the suspected pro-Government labour actors employed several tactics to frustrate JNC actions but to no avail. It would not be an overstatement to opine that workers are truly the “architects of their misfortunes” since the labour unions are fragmented in pursuit of their sectional interest.
Apart from labour union leaders delving into politics of the day, an average worker is a “political animal” seeking primordial interest in the political system. My four years spell in the State Assembly as Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker (CPS) was revealing in this aspect. I discovered that civil servants to a large extent are conscious of who takes charge of the state in any future election. This desire is tied to certain peculiar reasons. Most workers would want somebody from their Senatorial Zone, LGA, Community or relation to use any means and hold important government offices so as to gain from favoured appointments, positions and elevations irrespective of qualification and grade. For the successful ones, due process and bureaucracy associated with civil service becomes a forgone alternative. When they succeed, the Government of the day is performing, but when they fail, blackmail and cry of wolf would become their watchword. I must confess that workers play the game of politics more than politicians in Imo. In this era where lack of due process has washed away the traditional red-tapism obtained in civil service, civil servants are to be blamed. Most times, I fume at workers who allege that the present administration has no regard for due process and constitutional provision. There are civil service rules and procedures for running of government. By law, workers are to uphold the basic tenets of civil service rules than accept hook, lime and sinker all trash from politicians. The media has been awash with tales of billions allegedly paid to contractors handling projects in Imo which did not pass necessary acid tests before award and funding of contract. The question that is waiting for answer to discerning minds is whether the state Chief executive or his aides personally went to the coffers of the state or treasury to take the money and forward to contractors? All financial transactions must be conducted by the Accountant-General of the state, a civil servant who must comply with accounting regulations with particular reference to civil service rule in releasing public funds to public office holders. No civil servant has told the public he was held ransom or made to undertake unlawful approvals at gun points. It is pertinent to remind workers exposed to political environment that if politicians enjoy relative immunity while in office, they may not escape prosecution if found wanting in the course of discharging their duties. The belief that one is obeying orders of “Oga on top” to perfect illegalities cannot be an alibi for prosecution. Even in the military where soldiers are expected to obey the last instruction from their superiors, such unlawful order from a superior official cannot be an excuse for offence. Take the case of Late Gen Bissalah who was killed in 1976 for the coup d ‘etat against Gen Murtala Mohammed. The junior officers and soldiers who obeyed Bissalah to prosecute the ill-fated coup were also found guilty and sentenced to death by irrespective of the fact that they took part of the mutiny based on superior orders from “Oga on top”.
Recently, a mild drama happened in the State Civil Service when some serving permanent secretaries were handed compulsory retirement letters. The sacked Perm Secs except few who reached the apogee of their chosen profession had some years remaining in the service. While a reasonable percent condemned the act by the state government, others in the workforce who supposedly benefited from the later exercises sang Alleluia when the Governor appointed fresh Directors to fill the gap as Perm Secs. By allowing the Governor get away with the action, civil servants and indeed the benefactors have exposed themselves to vulnerable and unjust attacks from the executive arm as the Governor is now at liberty to relieve anybody his appointment whether the worker has reached retirement age or not. It is a dangerous dimension the workers’ body has allowed to fade away without considering the implications and bad precedent in the near future. With the present government having a year and three months to go, a new Governor may emerge later and reverse the trend by throwing away the new Perm Secs who have more years in service. The retirees are not left out, nobody is protecting them as they have been deported to their various communities, an action that is against their wish. While Ndigbo are barking at Gov Fashola for deporting South Easterners to Onitsha, the workers are collaborators in the forceful relocation of retired workers to their communities JNC for purposes of collecting pensions. From all indication dont we have a politicized civil service?
