Wabba: Labour should be part of monitoring

President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),, in this interview with COLLINS OLAYINKA, calls for the inclusion of labour in monitoring how funds from Paris Club refund are expended.   

What is the position of the Nigeria Labour Congress on how the Paris Club refund has been managed so far?
We appreciate the goodwill of President Muhammadu Buhari to have given the first bailout to state governors to offset outstanding salaries and now the Paris Club fund. There were guidelines for all the funds released so far. While it is true that some state governments utilised the money for the purpose it was meant for, many diverted the money. That is the fact and nothing has happened to those that diverted the fund. Therefore, it is safe to say that the purpose of the fund has not been achieved to a great extent. The payment of salaries, pension and gratuities of workers are still a burning issue. We believe in the labour movement that the economy has remained in recession because workers have not been paid. It is when these categories of workers are paid as at when due that money can circulate. When a worker is paid, he goes to the market, pays schools fees, attends to health issues within the family and even sends money to his mother, father and wards. We believe that this is the kind of money that can go round and not payment to contractors who store the money in bank accounts. The governors have become tin gods in their states and behave like emperors. We have it on good authority that some of the governors have even fixed the money for their own personal benefit.

In states like Kogi where workers have not been paid for six months or more, there are bogus contracts awarded by the state government, which have not impacted on the lives of the citizens. State governors do not believe in human capital development. What made other countries around the world tick is consistent building of human development. Human capital must and should be developed first before infrastructural development and other physical infrastructure. This is the philosophy of development around the world. I think our people here don’t see it as a very important responsibility that they need to address. The fact is also that we cannot put all the governors in one basket. It is very obvious that some states have done extremely well and we have the record of those states that have done well.

There was a report by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that funds were actually diverted. The Congress learnt that there was a template or advisory that was given to the state governors because of the federal system of government Nigeria operates. I think the funds should be attached to specific projects as special intervention funds for easy monitoring and possible evaluation. We also think that outside given guidelines, the governors should report back before they can access the second phase of the bailout. If we are canvassing for transparency and accountability, which is the essence of good governance, critical stakeholders such as organised labour and civil society groups should be able to monitor the utilisation processes of the funds. It is also very important for government to address the N19b that was allegedly withdrawn from source to pay consultants. I think that issue ought to have been addressed by the Federal Government in clear terms. Our submission is that the Federal Government has a responsibility to ensure that this money that came in form of intervention, either the bailout or the Paris Club refund are tied to specific projects in the states and that they must be tangible and meet the expectations of Nigerians. There must also be a procedure for measuring whether those funds have been judiciously utilised or not.

The way things are going in our country requires a more proactive approach that will see to the fact that the government is on the same page with Nigerians in the fight against corruption and canvassing for good governance. If not, the issue of inequality and social imbalance in our system would continue to widen. We are clearly sitting on a time bomb because unemployment is growing at alarming rate.

How do we make youth employable? It is by creating industries. It is not by awarding bogus contracts where people go to collect money. We must return to human capital development and get abled-bodied youths engaged. This can be done. How many state governments have made this happen? At this juncture, let me commend the Cross River state government for establishing a garment factory in the state. The state governor, Ben Ayade built one of the largest garment industries in his state. This is what our state governors need to do. They need to think outside of the box and see how to engage our teeming youths and how to add quality to governance. Building of road is not something that any right thinking people should celebrate because it is expected. What should be done is something essential that would add value to the system.

Did the Federal Government consult with Labour before releasing the funds to state governments?
There was no consultation at all between the labour movement and Federal Government on the matter. This is the missing link. We believe that the outcome would be different if government included labour in the team. As critical stakeholders in national development, it is my view that there is more to be achieved in terms of carrying critical stakeholders along. We cannot be shouting transparency and accountability if we don’t put in place checks and balances. We think that one of the major flaws of the guidelines handed to the state governors was the lack of monitoring and evaluation team. We must track the funds, and its utilisation is very germane to achieving success.

NLC has already directed at its last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Sokoto that in any state where special funds meant for the payment of salaries is not done, they can take necessary action and the national secretariat would be there to support them. I am aware that there are some states that have been earmarked for this kind of action.