Tears for my fatherland

A casual conversation with a civil servant acquaintance this past week brought home the grim and gloomy reality of the situation majority of those who work for state governments have found themselves. The acquaintance, who works with a local government commission, said there are some local government workers who have not collected salaries in 12 months. He said in his case he has not been paid salary for seven months. As I was trying to come to terms with people going to their workplace week in and week out over a period of one year, discharging their duties and carrying out their assigned responsibilities without the employer fulfilling his side of the agreement, it hit me that this was not just a localised problem but a national dilemma as many of the states in the country owe their workers several months of salary.

According to reports, no fewer than 12 states owe their workers between six months and 15 months in salary. Fifteen months without a salary! Does anyone care whether the workers live or die? For those married to bankers or federal civil servants or politicians or contractors or even traders, the worry is minimal as the spouse will rise to make up for the shortfall. But for those married to unemployed partners or other state civil servants or students, the woes are unimaginable! But does anyone care?

How do they cope? How do these workers manage to survive with the high cost of items in the country? How do they feed their children? How do they pay their wards’ school fees? How do they sustain their undergraduate children? How do they pay rent? How do they clothe their family members? For those of them with health conditions that require regular medication, how do they pay to sustain their health?

But does anyone care? Is anyone bothered whether they live or die? Is this a country?

I imagine that many of the men will have abandoned their homes and seek refuge with older women or wealthy single women willing to pay for their service. I imagine that many of the women will have turned themselves to ladies of easy virtues just to keep their children fed and clothed. I imagine that many of the undergraduate children of these unfortunate civil servants will have resorted to allowing themselves keep older men warm or turn to crime to remain in school. I imagine that many of these civil servants will have mortgaged their dignity with friends and family for meager handouts.

But there were bailouts to the states by the Federal Government.

Since coming on stream, the Buhari administration has bailed out state governments thrice with the emphasis on using the funds for payment of salaries to civil servants to stimulate the economy. In 2015, the Federal Government offered bailout funds to the states from the revenue paid into the consolidated account by the Nigeria Liquefied Gas Limited. Then the FG, working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), took over the debts of the states so give reprieve to those of them with heavy debt burden. It then provided a window for the states to borrow as much as N10bn in total. Not long ago, the Federal Government also paid about N2.09 trillion to the states as refund for the London-Paris Club deductions.

But in spite of these interventions and the regular revenue from the federation account, a third of the states still owe their workers. However, many of the owing governors do not have any justification for this as they convert state funds to personal use. According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), one of the state governors, who collected the London-Paris Club, refund expended $3million on building a 100-room hotel in Lagos. Imagine a salary-owing governor spending over a billion naira on just one building when some of his workers cannot pay their rent and have to seek refuge with friends and relations. This act of fund diversion is a common denominator of state governors.

Now, what manner of governor will leave millions without food on their tables and clothes on their bodies and spend billions meant for them on a project meant for him? What manner of leader will not have compassion on the suffering masses but will only be concerned about milking and bilking the poor? What manner of person will not think twice about depleting the state coffers as long as his personal account is replete with funds? What manner of leader will run his state aground just to build his personal estate?

I weep for the unfortunate civil servants who have to run from pillar to post, putting up with insults just to keep body and soul together. I weep for their children who have to bear the brunt of misguided leadership. I weep for their spouses who have been subjected to sub-human existence. But much more, I weep for my country. What future awaits a nation whose leaders are only concerned about their Italian shoes, Brazilian belts, Swiss wristwatches, American cars, marble mansions and imported whores? I weep because I do not see a change in the pattern in the immediate future.

Great countries are not built on the greed of leaders but on their sacrifices for their people and thoughtfulness for the future. But who cares about the Nigerian people and the country’s future?

Nigeria, my beloved fatherland, why is misfortune your fortune?