By Owei Lakemfa

SOME years ago when I was in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the leadership of the Nigeria Union Of Journalists (NUJ) invited me to a closed meeting. It wanted my professional advice and assistance on two matters. First, it was concerned about ethics in journalism and wanted to present a private bill to the National Assembly (NASS). Second, was the non-payment of salaries by some media houses with some owing between twelve and twenty months.

On the salary issue, I suggested that we can, using the Labour Law on picketing, pick two electronic and two newspapers houses and shut them down until they agree to pay their workers. I offered to mobilise the Radio, Television and Theatre Workers Union and the National Union Of Printing, Publishing and Paper Product Workers to join the NUJ. I also offered to organise hundreds of workers in Abuja and Lagos to join in the industrial action which may last some days.

The look in the NUJ President’s eyes, and the body language, told me that the union was not ready for a struggle to defend its members rights on such a basic issue as salary. A year or two later, one of the electronic houses went down with twenty six months unpaid salaries. The salary situation in the media houses I identified years ago, has not fundamentally changed.

Watching our political leaders today, and after the Thursday brawl in the House Of Representatives, I get the same feeling as I got with the NUJ leadership; leaders who may not meet the peoples’ expectations.

Three months ago, we concluded one of the most momentous elections in our history. It was keenly contested, but despite its flaws, all accepted the outcome; at least to save the country from bloodshed and political instability.

Exactly a month ago, President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in; the country was at his feet. Given the high expectations of Nigerians, an on-going violent war, reign of kidnappers, a very sick economy, and a troubling social situation, most Nigerians expected Buhari to hit the ground running, but he hit the ground crashing. The debris of the crash which include the physical fights by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Senators and House members are visible everywhere. Rather than draft accident Scene investigators to determine the cause of the crash and find ways to prevent further disaster, our political leaders carry on as if their mandate does not cover disasters.

A conquering party that could defeat a ruling party, is incapable of carrying out at the NASS, what its respected Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun in his June 8, 2015 statement correctly characterised as “ the first stage of the distribution of the spoil of office”

Is it any surprise that in three months such a party cannot name people into basic offices like the Secretary to the Government, not to mention Ministerial nominees? The country seems to be on autopilot.

The President’s Inaugural Speech contained no fundamental issues, so we expected a flow of ideas, principles and policies to follow, but what we have got in one month, is essentially a torrent of excuses and rationalisation. That handover Notes came late, the financial situation is bad, Buhari is not a miracle worker, age is not on his side, a pending 100 Days assessment is putting too much pressure. How do these account for the absence of a public list of officers including Ministerial nominees?

The APC seems to be in a meltdown into its basic components and it is dragging the country down with it. What Nigerians expect are decisive moves to arrest this descent into chaos, but we are told the President is above party fray, and would rather watch from the sidelines. What father does that anywhere? Now Boko Haram, kidnappers and armed robbers have retaken the initiative while hunger struts through the land, and all we watch on national television is the sickening, third rate, Mexican-like soap from the NASS.

Whatever principles are at stake in the NASS, have been subsumed in the mini wars which are essentially about the Saraki-Dogara Alliance consolidating power with the Lawan-Gbajabiamila Axis putting up a stiff fight to gain some ground. The interest of the country and its people, do not feature in this.

The other issue in which the NASS has taken centre stage is their salaries and allowances which the public considers too high. Rather than address this, the NASS, which has powers of appropriation and to prescribe remuneration, salaries and allowances, like the Ostrich is burying its head in the sand, blames the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation And Fiscal Commission.

Our Governors had the opportunity of meeting the President, but all we heard were their plea for financial bailout, reimbursement for expenditure on Federal Government infrastructure and the sharing of the remaining excess crude oil revenue.

President Muhammadu Buhari flanked by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Governor Nasir El Rufai while Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and Governor Nyesom Wyke of Rivers State (r) as they discussed after the first meeting between the President and State Governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida 23/06/2015

Before the meeting, some of them had returned to the era of playing pranks by announcing a fifty percent cut in their salaries. If a Governor donates N5 million of his legitimate salary to the state coffers, but has a security vote of N5 billion for which he does not need to account, who is fooling who? Who does not know the art of dividing a piece of meat with the teeth and a lot of it disappearing in the process?

If a governor has a convoy of two dozen vehicles, and his family share amongst themselves another two dozen choice official cars like ex-Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State is reported to have done, what difference would fifty percent of his salary make? If a governor acquires a debt of N90 billion like ex-Governor Gabriel Suswan in Benue State, what difference would half his official salary have made?

The Wages we are paying for today, are not those of Labour, but of Sin; allowing the elite rape the country unchallenged for decades. But we can begin to atone by retaking our country; we need to assert the fact that sovereignty belongs to us the people, from whom all powers and authority must flow.