Salary arrears: NULGE needs to show understanding – MAJA

He is the former Commissioner for Local Government Service Commission, in this interview with Head Politics, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM, Kayode Sulyman Yusuf (Maja) speaks on the thorny issues in the state recently. Excerpts:

Your reaction to the list of nominees across LG's and the uproar it has generated?

The leader is being misquoted by some politicians in the state, who see some of us who have served as threat without thinking whether we are developing the state rightly or wrongly. I was there when Senator Bukola Saraki made the statement and we have held meeting yesterday (Friday) with him, which lasted till about 3:00am. He told everybody right there that the state has a unique opportunity now that he is the Senate President. There is now the opportunity to select one person each from the 16 local governments in the state as aides in the various available capacities whose salaries would be more than that of a commissioner here. We have never had such opportunity. I for instance have served as a commissioner in 1999 and since then, have not return to that portfolio. Appointed as special assistant after commissionership, which some will see as absurd and then SA political. I rallied and mobilised all the people that I have known in my previous position to support the government. Nobody can buy experience and the leader is not saying out rightly that we should do away with all those that have served. I am a good example of the leader's suggestion. What I know for such is that the leader will never throw out former commissioners or SA's totally because they will need people that will provide leadership in the council, same for the Local Government Service Commission and SUBEB. They should not even be expecting the leader to be saying that to them because if some have not left, we wouldn't have had our own opportunity.

As a former chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, how do you react to the issue of LG Salaries in the state?

I think NULGE needs to show understanding on this matter. They must praise the effort of Governor Ahmed on this issue. Sometimes it is difficult to rationalise how this government has been able to survive. A government that was initially getting over N3billion per month now earning over a billion and surviving for over a year is not easy. At a time, it was about N600million and it is something I can testify before God. We just thank God that those piloting the affairs of the state, including the governor and his predecessors, Bukola Saraki, are experienced hands that have served in various financial capacities and that is why they have been able to run the affairs of the state. The secret is that they saved from what the state was getting then and used it to augment when the allocation started dwindling. The issue has started for a very long time.

Some have expressed apprehension on the issue of tax to be introduced by government?

If you would remember, it was Bukola Saraki that first stopped the issue of tax in Kwara, why would he now revisit it, that is what some people find difficult to rationalise, but the reality on ground dictates this. We know what is happening in Lagos and other places. Ilorin and Kwara is a different state. The problem emanated from the drop in allocation, which was the major source of income. The other one is IGR and with the Governor's effort, the projection is about N3billion monthly. With that and the increase allocation hopefully, there will be regular payment of salaries among other things. The only thing is for us to cooperate and pay taxes and we shall see government in action again.

The House has approved Governnor Ahmed’s letter to appoint 10 Special Advisers, what is your comment on this?

There is nothing bad in that from about 17 previously. During the time of Bukola, it was about 9, then 12 and during Governor Lawal, it was about five and just 10 commissioners including me. Bukola started with about 12 commissioners, then 17 and so on. Initially, appointments used to start from commissioners, then Special Advisers and Special Assistants. But now we have developed politically and have matured due to uninterrupted democratic administrations and we have so many people now that are fit to contribute to the democratic process. So the condition will dictate the appointments and realities.

There is allegation that Ilorin West received lots of petitions on the issue of the nominees list...

We didn't receive any petition from Ilorin West, I am a member of the caucus. We followed the rules and regulations before we called for nomination from various wards. It's only about one or two of those people that had served in the last cabinet sailed through and some of them served less than a year as commissioners and special advisers out of which we also had campaigns. About last month, Bukola was here to get the list but when the complaints were getting too much, he had to tell them to go and rejig it.

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