EDITORIAL
The state government outsized public service is uncalled-for..
'We are in a very
precarious financial situation. During the dark 25 months, when Governor
Danbaba Suntai was incapacitated, there was wanton greed and financial
recklessness with impunity, which led us to unprecedented indebtedness
to commercial banks. As I address you today, the immediate task ahead is
seeking creative ways to revamp our finances; otherwise we shall be
heading for bankruptcy.
It is becoming
increasingly difficult to pay workers' salaries, let alone embark on any
project. I see the reality of a disenchanted and degenerated
bureaucracy; I see the reality of an oversized public service; I see the
reality of a financially indebted state."
The foregoing was
taken from the inauguration speech of Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba
State on May 29 this year as he painted a picture of a state that had
been mismanaged by his predecessors after which he promised to begin a
"rescue mission". But if there is any evidence to show that he is not
serious about the promise, it is the fact that he has appointed 20
commissioners and 112 Senior Special Advisers and Special Assistances
for a state that he himself admits is already very broke.
Unfortunately, such
financial recklessness is not restricted to Taraba as there are also
many states where, despite lean resources, the governors have embarked
on wasteful expenditure. For many of them, as long as there is oil money
to be shared in Abuja, the binge can continue with little or no thought
for the welfare of their people. That is what Governor Ishaku has
demonstrated by his appointments.
Given these stark
realities, we are at a loss as to how Governor Ishaku of Taraba State
would explain his appointment of 112 special advisers and senior special
assistants and 20 commissioners. Because, here is a state that
projected to raise only N4.5 billion of its N97.3 billion 2015 budget
proposal as internally generated revenue, with the rest, including an
uncertain N25 billion refund, expected from allocations from the
Federation Account!
To be fair, there
are some reasonable governors who, with dwindling resources, are cutting
the size of ministries and number of commissioners and
advisers/assistants in order to conserve funds to do capital projects.
There are governors like Malam Nasir el-Rufai (who reduced Kaduna's 19
ministries to 13); Ibrahim Geidam (who slashed Yobe's ministries from 22
to 15), Abdulaziz Yari (who restructured Zamfara's 25 ministries to 16)
and Abdullahi Gunduje (who reduced Kano's 18 ministries to 14). Those
are worthy examples.
Unfortunately,
Ishaku cannot learn from those governors despite the precarious nature
of the finances of his state. He seems to have no clue on how to grow
the IGR; he depends almost entirely on oil revenues from Abuja, yet
making appointments for purely political reasons and without minding the
consequences on the development of his state.
For a governor who
inherited what he himself described as "an oversized public service" and
"a financially indebted state," the expectation was that Ishaku would
work towards the development of Taraba but as things stand, he seems to
be more preoccupied with expanding his political base with patronage
than working for his people. It is a big shame.
- THIS DAY
#TarabaFacts
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