May Day or Labour Day was celebrated across the country on Tuesday, May 1. SADIQ ABUBAKAR reports how civil servants in Borno state marked the day, against the backdrop of insecurity occasioned by Boko Haram that has held the state hostage.
Payment of salaries as a nightmare
The issues of workers welfare and payment of salaries and pensions of retired workers have been a nightmare in Borno state in the north eastern part of the country, despite the monthly release of funds by the federal government monthly to the state.
Bail out fund
Worst of it all, was the bailout Fund introduced by President Muhammadu Buhari, for states that couldn’t fully settle their workers’ salaries and pensions to ensure that all outstanding arrears of workers were paid but to no avail.
Borno state is not an exception despite the billions of naira bailout fund, it received twice from the federal government. The federal government gave to Governor Kashim Shettima, of Borno, in 2017 and 2018, but still, the state and local government workers are crying out for non- payment of their monthly salaries and retired workers for their pensions.
A chat with civil servants
A cross section of civil servants at both the state and local government levels including teachers of primary, secondary and state owned tertiary institutions in Maiduguri, interviewed by Blueprint revealed that a lot has not been done for the state workers. They said if nothing is done some workers may end up not getting their outstanding arrears even at the end of the second tenure of Governor Shettima, which is barely about ten months from now for him to hands off leadership of the state.
Comrade Bulus Wakawa, a state civil servant said,” it is quite unfortunate that Borno state government despite the patience of both the state labour union executives and members of the NLC, Governor Kashim Shettima, has not uptil now not paid many workers their salaries and many retirees their pensions”.
“Majority of these workers have been completely exposed to severe hardships and sufferings of all kinds, Some have even resorted to begging on the street to eat or survive.
“Some are sick or I’ll for not getting their salaries and pensions for months. Some have one year or eleven months salaries and pensions arrears from the state government.
“To tell you that truth journalist, we are all comrades, some of the retirees and workers are already death as a result of lack of their salary and pension payment over the year. How can these people survive.
“How can they eke a living? The same people have wives, children and dependants in some cases. So, they died out of frustration, hypertension and sicknesses. Some even committed suicide to kill themselves as they cannot survive on their own as workers or retirees after credibly serving the government for either 30 or 35 years me riotously”, Bolus said.
Mrs. Helen James, a nurse working at the local government level said, “In fact, we housewives and mothers are at the receiving end of all these. This verification exercise by Governor Shettima has caused a lot of problems to we workers in this state.”
“In some places, many workers have not been paid for amidst a year now. Even the NLC state chairman has mentioned it in his speech. He still appealed to the governor to come to the aid of the workers and pay them their salaries and pensions.
“Look at the way and manner these old people who sacrificed and worked for the government at the state and local governments are still suffering without being paid their pensions. It is terrible and pathetic. Very unfortunate that this is happening to these old retirees.
“At least the government I should have a rethink over their plight. They are our fathers or parents. We should consider them. What have they done to deserve this kind of treatment from the government after serving the government for over 30 or 35 years.
“We pray that Shettima will listen to our labour leaders to end this long period of verification exercise which is causing all these problems. We even wanted to demonstrate against the state government for not paying some workers their salaries and retirees their pensions except for the security problems in the state which hoodlums could take advantage and cause another havoc”, Helen said.
Teachers’ plight
A teacher with a government primary school/UBEl, Jidari Polo Area, Baana Modu said, “ As far as payment of teachers’ salary by Governor Kashim Shettima is concerned, we the teachers at the primary level have lost hope.”
“We are only waiting for the next governor or government to come to our rescue. We are tired. We collect N8,000 monthly as primary school teachers, while only a few of us collect N10,000 monthly, without implementation of the new minimum wage which other local government teachers have been enjoying.
“We are just labouring for nothing as teachers. We only know that our reward is in heaven. Worst of it all, is that, there is no job or alternative job for us. That is why we are still hanging around to survive .Unemployment has aggravated the situation. So, we have no option than to stay and teach with the poor condition of service,” Modu said.
Witch hunting
A lecturer, Malam Abdul Hassan Ahmed, of Sir Kashim Collage of Education, said: “The issue of non -payment of workers’ salaries and retired workers’ pensions has been a history in Borno since the governor introduced what he called verification exercise that has been witch hunting and blackmailing some innocent workers who have been in either the state or local government service for long, where some will even soon retired.
“There is no proper arrangement and implementation of the exercise and those handling the exercise are capitalizing on that they are closer to the governor or government. So, they do whatever they like in their favour against the poor workers and pensioners without any checks and balances from the top or whoever constituted the committee and gave them the responsibility to carry out the exercise.
“This is grossly the major problem of the exercise which gave the committee or verification team the privilege to do and undo without any interference or intervention from any quarter as everybody seems to be victimized or is afraid to be victimized by the verification team and subsequently deny them salary or pension.
Pensioners protested
“Last year, you can remember, even the pensioners protested and attempted to set the pension office on fire due to frustration and delay in the whole process of verification exercise by the team.
“Problems of all manners were associated with the exercise and the government or governor is not doing anything about it or happening matters, thus, invariably making things worst while his last lap of the second tenure is fast approaching.
“This makes people to wonder whether they will get their outstanding arrears or not as some have about a year salaries or pension not paid while others have between 9-11 months yet to be paid and the resources are there. But not that government does not have the money to pay but it is not willing to pay and may end up forwarding the burden to the next government”, Hassan said.
Pensioner’s travail
A pensioner with the state government who retired about nine years ago, Malam Babakura BaMustapha, living in Muna Garage area said, “ We can only appeal to the governor to look at our situation and sympathize with us as old parents that have children, grand children, wives and are incapable of doing anything now to earn a living for the governor to pay us our right, to pay us pension to eat”.
“We are still begging him as old people to come to our aid. We are old and poor. Don’t have food. Don’t have money. Don’t have anything to depend on. Still served meritoriously our governments and successfully retired, but only to be paid with these severe sufferings and hardships in the name of verification exercise to deny us our right.
“How many years or months or weeks or days we still have on earth that we deserve this kind of treatment from our son and grand son, our leader and governor. What offence have we committed.
The old man busted into tears, crying, saying, “even if the governor wants us to die, let him pay us our money, our due, our right for serving the government”, BaMustaoha said.
Fruitless attempts to get government’s comment
Efforts to speak to the Labour Leaders and government authorities were fruitless, none could be reached on phone.
But earlier last year in an interview, the Special Adviser to Governor Kashim Shettima on Communications and Strategy, Malam Isa Umar Gusau, said the state government was not owing any worker salary and pension except for the verification exercise which was inconclusive.
He also argued that the state government was not among those states of the federation listed owing workers salaries and pensions while putting the blame and delay on the errors and problems encountered by the workers and pensioners during the exercise particularly, on BVN numbers, irregular salary figures, irregular file names and errors in bank account numbers among others.
