100 days in Office

NLC, PDP, APC bicker over Gov Ahmed’s performance

*27, 000 teachers await three month salaries- NUT

*It takes more than 100 days to clear PDP’s mess- Gov’s Aide

*KWHA gives pass mark

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed’s 100 days in office yesterday generated controversy as the Joint Kwara Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) were furious over outstanding salaries.

Ahmed, who was sworn-in on May 29 for fresh tenure of four years, will clock 100 days in office on Saturday.

But, the government would not be marking the event officially, National Pilot learnt last night.

Stakeholders, who spoke to National Pilot on Wednesday, expressed divergent views over the governor’s performance.

More than 27,000 teachers in Primary and Secondary Schools across the state have not received their salaries for the months of June, July and August, the state’s NUT Chairman, Comrade Musa Abubakar, said while speaking a telephone chat.

“We are not pleased and disappointed,” Abubakar expressed.

The state’s Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barrister Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, yesterday, came hard on the governor, saying “Nothing good can come out of the government that went borrowing within its first 100 days in office.”

However, the governor, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant (Media and Communication), Dr Muideen Akorede, traced the unpaid salaries impasse to what he called mismanagement of the nation’s economy under PDP-led Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

“Borrowing is not shameful,” Akorede argued, adding that nobody will borrow a state without capacity to repay the loan facility.

Speaking, the NUT Chairman said: “We congratulate him on his first 100 days in office, but we are not happy with him. As I’m talking to you more than 27,000 teachers in primary and secondary schools have not received their salaries for the months of June, July and August. We are not pleased and disappointed in his administration.

“This is our government and we supported it in April during the election, but after the April, the salaries went off. Even the issue of bailout, we did not benefit and it is regretful.

‘’We want the governor to address the issue immediately or else we cannot guarantee industrial harmony in our schools.”

A statement made available to National Pilot on Wednesday, which jointly assigned by Yekini Agunbiade (NLC), Olumoh Nasir (TUC) and Kehinde Kolawole (JNC-Trade Union Side), commended the government’s commencement of payment of salaries as it affected some workers and pensioners.

The Joint Labour, however, appealed to the governor to address the outstanding salaries and arrears of workers in paratatals, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Local Government and State-owned Tertiary institutions.

“We passionately appeal to those workers who have not gotten their arrears of salaries especially the Parastatals, SUBEB, Local Government/ Local Government Pensioners and the State owned Tertiary institutions workers to please be calm as efforts are on to see that everybody is paid accordingly based on His Excellency’s promise to eliminate salary debts from the state once and for all, please,” the statement urged.

Akorede in his reaction submitted that it would take more than 100 days to surmount the economy left behind by Jonathan’s government.

He said: “The government’s inability to pay salaries was not created by this administration, the problem started before Governor Ahmed’s second term it is the mess created by the PDP led federal government that we are trying to clear up.

“They mismanaged the economy and it will take more than 100days to get the economy back on track, we are glad we have a competent governor who has made sure he pays the workers’ salary unlike other states including the oil rich states who are mainly PDP states, who has been finding it difficult paying salaries.

“Borrowing is not shameful. It is a sign of the state’s good health. Nobody will borrow a state without capacity to repay money.”

On insecurity, Akorede explained that: “Cultism is a major problem affecting all parts of the country; it is on record that this administration enacted a law to tackle cultism. We have successfully prosecuted some cultists and won up to the Supreme Court. We have also supported the security operatives with operational vehicles and other logistics.

“We did not lose sight that the state government is not directly in control of the various security outfits. It is however not an excuse as the Ahmed administration has made security of lives and property a priority.

“The future of Kwara is very bright. Governor Ahmed has put in place clear cut policies to develop the state, increase IGR and improve on the state’s infrastructural facilities.

“And we have a plan to completely transform the state. I can assure you that before 2019 the developments in the state will be very visible for all to see.”

Speaking earlier, the PDP Chairman had said: “The government hasn’t performed at all. I have not seen anything worth pointing to as an achievement since his second term inauguration. He has refused to constitute his cabinet and that is too bad for a second term governor, what would we say he is waiting for.

“I therefore believe that if he is unable to constitute a cabinet within 100days he has been running the state as a sole administrator and he is only spending Kwara State’s money illegally.

“He made a lot of promises during electioneering and there has not being any movement toward actualising them.

“Cultists recently unleashed mayhem in the Ilorin metropolis and it is a sign of youth idleness and it is a big minus for the state, which is called the ‘state of harmony’

“Nothing good can come out of a government that went borrowing to pay its workers’ salary. They have paid salaries of some workers, and the ones they paid were through borrowing.”

When contacted for his views on PDP’s position, the state’s Chairman of APC, Hon Ishola Balogun, did not pick our reporters’ calls.

Equally, the state’s APC Publicity Secretary, Sulyman Buhari, declined comment when contacted by National Pilot last night, claiming he could only react to a written statement by the PDP.

However, a respected APC Chieftain in the state, Hon Isiaka Mogaji, lampooned the PDP, saying the opposition party has lost focus and should not be taken serious.

Mogaji, who was an outstanding two-time member of the State Assembly, maintained that the governor has not lost focus on his highlighted programmes and policies which cut across education, health care, infrastructural development, traditional rulers among others.

“The PDP has lost focus. Nobody should believe in whatever they are saying. The bond and bailout issues are clearly different. Nobody will go to the capital market to take bond and use it to pay salaries. As a matter of fact, it is punishable under Fiscal Responsibility Law to take bond and use it to pay salaries,” Mogaji explained.

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