NLC Strike: The Hell In El-rufai
At times, one would think those who are learned and versed in a particular field of study will perform better in the helm of affairs of the country. That’s why many of the President Buhari’s critic always crucify his weak and porous education as one that is detrimental and injurious to his performance tickling the clock of the National progress backward.
Buhari’s failure in all ramifications is mostly attributed to low education to handle many critical cum economic challenges ravaging the country, of course, education matters a lot when we talk of leadership but this does not seem to work perfectly in Nigeria as the educated elites are even worse than the less educated folks.
The case of Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-rufai has indicated that one can be educated and still be a failure in governance. Sometimes ago, I have always thought of supporting El-rufai if he has interest in presidential race. In fact, like every other concerned citizen would have, I saw leadership charisma in him as to handle the heaps of problems battling the country. Recently, I realized supporting someone like El-rufai for presidential nomination is mere a daydreaming and an attempt to remove Nigerians from a shallow grave to a dungeon. At the moment, I will score Buhari with low education higher than a learned lawyer who sacked workers and still declared people fighting for their right wanted.
Kaduna, in my bar chart is topping the table of states under the scourge of deadly security threat. The hiker level of Kaduna killings and kidnappings and the approach which Mr. El-rufai is using to combat the situation shows he is a hall of shame in guise. El-rufai who vowed not to pay ransom to kidnappers is not bothered on how to restore peace and normalcy but added more spices to cause another social unrest in the state by flexing muscle with the Labour Union.
Unarguable, Kaduna State is now a dangerous state to live, work or visit in terms of the regularity of bloodshed, kidnappings and killings by bandits and ethno-religious inspired violence. The level of insecurity in Kaduna State today is a function of unprecedented, cruel anti-workers’ policy of the Kaduna State Government including repeated mass layoffs. The uncontrolled insecurity is, therefore, the ’harvest’ or product of the state’s anti-labour policies.
Reports have it that in 2016, over 13,000 workers considered to be ghost workers were dismissed. The following year, another 40,000 public sector workers were retrenched. Around half of these were teachers. The state arbitrarily pegged the pass mark for their competency test at an unprecedented 75 per cent. Many of these teachers did not receive any redundancy money.
Another report shows that from April of this year, the state government has been dismissing, perhaps, as many as another 17,000 workers. This includes 6,000 local governments and primary health care workers who have all received their marching orders. The remaining 11,000 workers from the state ministries have been listed for dismissal on account of having spent 30 years and above in service and/or being on level 14 and above.
Irritably, pensioners who have earned pensions for between 5 and 10 years and have ‘refused to die’ are no longer to be paid. The state government maintains that their children should take care of them. The hell in El-rufai claims that these policies are necessary due to declining revenues.
Nigeria Labour Congress in solidarity with sacked workers stormed Kaduna state to vent their anger and disapproval against the high level of wickedness displayed by the state governor, the protest is not even about killings, banditry and kidnappings anymore because that have been part and parcel of El-rufai’s administration. The protest is about livelihood and sustainability of three square meals disrupted by the autocratic governor.
More of the reasons why Nigeria like other African countries is backward is because people are power-intoxicated. They rule like Pharaoh and display wickedness in the name of constituted authority. El-rufai has forgotten that power drunkards like him have been relegated to twitter while many have been kept under spiral of silence. El-rufai should know better that power is transient.
It is pitiable and disheartening that a learned lawyer does not realize that a modern state needs satisfied workers, our ‘khakistocratic’ governor doesn’t know that a modern state can only be built by a well-motivated workforce, decent health and educational services can only be provided by nurses and teachers who have confidence in the government that they will be paid at the end of the month and not the ones living in fear of losing their jobs.
Now, nurses below level 14 and workers in state owned institutions have equally been sacked for joining the solidarity protest against Mr. Governor’s heinous decision.
Tell El-rufai to stop displaying the hell in him, the world is watching.
Shalom!
( Busy Brain Writes From Offa, Kwara State)
Busy Brain is an award winning media writer, journalist and public relations practitioner.