By drawing the attention of the public to the inconsistent and arbitrary deduction of staff salary by the state teaching service and civil service commission, this columnist is happy to report that all the issues raised in the March 5th article have all been cleared; safe for the teachers whose appointment letters were delayed until April but who nonetheless had their letters dated February 2020.
This arbitrary and single-handed salary deduction by the civil service commission has been stopped as the newly employed education officers now have their full salary at the end of last month. I got to know about this heartwarming and soothing development through my various sources in the commission. In separate but mutually inclusive chats, the affected workers told me the damning and indicting article I wrote was the main reason for the swift, timely and quick proactive action on the commission part.
They further corroborated their stands by saying that had it not been for my article’s detailed and fair intervention, the daylight robbery in the commission would have continued — unabated. The now elated staff added that the timing of the story could never have been more appropriate given that efforts have been underway to discredit any story that may drag the image of the government and the Governor in the politics of mudslinging as the next election beckons. “Because election is around the corner,” one of my sources told me “it is not unlikely to see those at the helms of the affairs running helter-skater, swinging into action when the story of that nature began to fly in the air”.
Similarly, the story is the same with the state teaching service commission which held back the February 2020 salary of its newly recruited teachers. TESCOM on its part says the delay was due to technical glitches; adding that the insinuation that it wants to deny people of their entitlements is malicious and fictitious. At a superficial level, that kind of excuse sounds logical but when probed further, the truth began to unravel. For instance, the salary at stake here has taken more than a year to process. Right from February 2020 when the commission gave out appointment letters, the commission couldn’t find a lasting solution to the persistent technical glitches delaying the payment of workers’ dues. It waited until the affairs became public before something had to be done.
This combined revelation and auto-correction are almost impossible without the state government’s intervention under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde. In last week’s column, I argued that the timely, quick response by the aforementioned agencies concerning those allegations shows that there is hope in continuous engagement and constructive criticism of the system. In the light of that intervention, it is only appropriate that the government is commended for siding with the people. Had the government failed to timely address that issue, it would have exposed itself to ridicule and opposition would have latched onto that.
In essence, what happened within the space of that one month is a rare display of the much-touted ‘GSM Effect’ in full swing: a phrase coined to describe the various initiatives and interventions of Governor Seyi Makinde led administration in the last three years. To support their phraseology with tangible evidence; the Governor’s teeming supporters have creatively and masterfully devised means to place old and rotten infrastructural projects side-by-side with the completed ones by this administration.
Quite thoughtfully, the wrecked image of Lekan Salami Stadium is now graphically placed in contrast with the newly reconstructed sports facility with a wide caption that quietly displays: GSM Effect on it. To further shows their ingenuity, most of these comparisons are placed in strategic places across Ibadan and major cities where it is almost impossible for passer-by and onlookers not to see. In addition, these teeming fans have also replicated the same brilliant comparison of their principal’s effect on the once ‘death-trap’ Iseyin-Ibadan road; the road which now wears a new look courtesy of the Governor’s insistence on road infrastructure.
Furthermore, the recruitment of 5000 teachers and workers across; most of which are considered apolitical is another way the loyal honchos of the Governor have continued to sell his candidacy as the next poll knocks on the door.
As Barrack Obama once remarked, “nobody expects the government to figure out everything”. The government can’t figure out solutions to all human problems. However, what separates the wheat of responsible government from the chaff of the irresponsible is how quick it responds to the plights of the people; and importantly, how it responds to constructive criticism about its performances and shortcomings.
OYO101, is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion on issues affecting Oyo state, is published on Saturdays. He can be reached via muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850
