Nigeria is a country of many wonders, a country with many surprises and mysteries. It is a country that the saint becomes the sinner and the sinner becomes the saint all at the same time. What the detained Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, Ahmed Idris, did was not a surprise to all academic unions of tertiary institutions.
Academic unions of tertiary institutions have suffered in the hands of Ahmed Idris to the level of making many of them to look like church rats.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, learnt just few days before his arrest that the minimum wage arrears schedule did not even get to his table for final process of payment until when he was arrested.
If the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, is demanding for just N40 billion for Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) to settle its financial demands and ASUP is demanding for N15 billion revitalization funds, there will still be enough money to improve the education sector in Nigeria. Unfortunaly, the federal government is always giving excuses to the academic unions that there is no money to settle their demands.
If there is no money, where did Ahmed Idris get the N80 billion he allegedly misappropriated? And where did the fromer Director general of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, get the N47 billion he allegedly siphoned from the commission’s treasury? And where did the former Anambra state governor get the N37 billion he allegedly embezzled as proved by EFCC? And where all corrupt Nigerians got the money they stole and where Nigeria gets money to settle the workers in juicy organisations before the end of the month while academic staff receive their peanut salaries late?
The corruption perception index of 2021 ranked the country 154th out of 180 countries and every day top Nigerian civil servants are in a top gear of it. It is now a lesson for the wise and for Anamekwe Nwabuoku who was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to oversee the office of the Accountant General pending the outcome of his investigation.
Nwabuoku, is a fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) and a member of Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), has lots of experiences to efficiently manage the office of the accountant general.
Among some of the positions he held include director (finance and accounts), Ministry of Defence, HQ, Abuja from May 2019 to March 2021. He is currently the director, Inspectorate Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation presently overseeing the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, there is no doubt he will discharge fine services to plug all potholes of corruption.
Nwabuoku can make all government workers to love him and pray for him if he does tell the federal government that there is no money in the treasury as was the case. All Nigerian workers expect equal treatment in salary disbursement before the IPPIS system which when luring staff they were told salaries will be paid on the same day, the same time and on 25th of every month.
At this time that you assumed the office of the Accountant General in acting capacity we hope that you will be in the history book of ASUP and ASUU to resolve their financial demands as we have started seeing good days in your days.
ASUU and ASUP staff believe that the payment of their arrears happened because of you and we all expect to see these good things in improving Nigeria’s education. My prayers remain with you in good work for all and with food future.
Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim (Goronyo),
Department of Mass Communication,
Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna
[email protected]
