When Akeem Philips Fashina received his appointment letter from the state civil service commission in September, 2021; he was brimming with smile. In part because he’s no longer in the dreaded labor market that is notorious for chewing up and spitting out graduates in merciless abandon. His cumulative monthly take home as a level grade eight officer was pegged at N48,000, far from what his colleagues in the teaching service commission at the same level with the same qualification earn. From that amount, he’s mandated to cough out N1540.03 for tax (PAYE), then dole out N660.67 into the coffer of NHIS (Hospital Management card), N549.83 for union, and N1,000 as educational officer for what is tagged quite stunningly: end-well— a retirement package for state workers.
His first three month salary was therefore estimated to be #mN45,000 minus NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme), worker union, and end-well; but subsequent payment shows a downward spiral in his salary earning. It gave him a serious concern at first but then thought the deduction may be technical glitches that would soon be resolved and not the arbitrarily in your face day light robbery — being a newly recruit into the commission.
But when his phone chimed in on a scorching Monday afternoon February, 28, 2022 six months after he officially resumed for duty, what he saw betrayed his emotion. Instead of the usual N45,000 which has been his regular pay after the deduction of the mandatory tax, to his shock and bewilderment, he stared depressingly at a paltry: N41,000 as his take home.
At first, he thought it was a mistake from his bank which is infamous for such act, but when he reached out to his colleagues about the audacious deduction from his meager stipend, what he heard gob-smacked and send chill down his spines.
What made him quite uncomfortable and unsettling wasn’t even the fact that his hard-earned money was deducted; but that it was deducted single-handedly, arbitrarily and without his consent. It was after he shared his touchy-feely story with others in his shoes that it dawned on him that his excitement about being out of the labor market and into the world of work is not only going to be short-lived but will further deepen his bout of depression.
Akeem grew up in an agrarian community where the cost of living is relatively affordable but was posted to teach (contrary to the law that established the commission) in a school as education officer in Ibadan where the combined problems of high cost of living, economic downturn and uptick in the price of commodity have made life pretty difficult for him. As of the time he was handed over his appointment letter, he was a staunch supporter of the Governor, (which is not unusual in a chaotic labor market where loyalty to politicians is more prized than competence) but now, he seems to be singing different song as he and his colleagues felt helpless, hopeless, cheated and robbed of their hard-earned money by their superiors.
“At a time the price of commodity was jumping over the roof in the market, isn’t it heartbreaking to receive a decrease in your monthly earning” he asked when pressed to shed light on the issue. “Unfortunately” he lamented “the system is designed to box dissenters and those who want to raise objection into that audacious and mendacious deduction of staff salary to one corner”. Even a layman on the street is aware of the importance of tax payment, he went on, but the continuous deduction of staff salary without their notice, consent and awareness is at best an act of wickedness and at worst a classical example of endemic, systemic rot tearing apart the system we hope would deliver the dividend of democracy and nurture people of high moral standard.
But civil service commission or ministry of education seem not to be the only one caught in this mess, shenanigans and unethical conduct; it appears the problem runs deep into the fabric of education as a whole in the state: The same sector Governor Seyi Makinde promised to reform, sanitize and position for global recognition. In December last year, this columnist penned a damning report about how the cosmetic educational reform championed by the Governor has backfired. Among other issues raised was the transparently apparent lack of workers intrinsic motivation even though their monthly stipend are being promptly paid.
Admittedly, this evolving and indicting revelation into the continuous deduction of workers salary didn’t even formed part of that December story, though emerging facts show that banking on the regular payment of staff salary as the most treasured reason to wining another term in office might just be as counter-productive and self-defeating since what is being brandished as a tip on the Governor’s iceberg of performance is nothing more than a messy drop on the cake.
To look at the administrative malfeasance in other commission apart from the civil service commission, it helps to look at the messy side of the state teaching service commission. In 2020, TESCOM released a job advert calling on suitably qualified candidates to apply for its available five thousand vacancies into post-primary teaching jobs. About ninety one thousand applied according to information obtained from the state commissioner of education, Barr. Rahman Abiodun Abdulraheem. And by February, 2021, successful applicants were given their appointment letters.
While narrating his own ordeal regarding the inconsistency in the payment of his salary, Adewale Adekunle, a newly recruited teacher posted to a high school in Oyo south senatorial district lamented the deliberate and continous delay in his first salary. “Our employment letter is dated February, 2021” he pointed out “So, we started to work right from that time”. But to our shock, he says, we are still being kept in the lurch as to whether that month salary would be paid or not. We worked for this money and are being told story upon story about why we should be grateful to the Governor for making this job a non-partisan affairs.
“The Governor should know that, the same constituency he is banking on for his re-election are angry, disenchanted and may turn out to disappoint him during election” he says. But apart from the Governor re-election bid, another vital point to note is the weak or ineffective feedback loop between the state government and its welter of newly recruited workers. In a way, there seem to be lack of communication channel when workers appear dissatisfied or are subjected to unethical conduct — that type of feedback channel that can swing into action and redress any avoidable mess. In other words, the earlier this cobweb of misconduct is quickly brought to the attention of the Governor, and swiftly addressed. Plus such should be followed by prompt, open and transparent steps to right the wrong and punish saboteurs as deterrence for others in the system.
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
