Taraba State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Jonah Kataps, has never shied away from fighting issues that are neither necessary nor permanent. As would be expected of a labour leader, he has already raised the alarm over the planned deregulation of the oil industry. His main worry is that the action would worsen the plight of the average Nigerian worker and has called on the government not to go ahead with the plan. He is not also happy that the immunity clause in the constitution has prevented the anti-graft agencies from tackling corruption effectively, thereby making a mockery of the nation’s claim to fighting graft in all its ramifications. He spoke with correspondent John Mkom in Jalingo. Read on.
Nigeria’s education system is in dilemma: poor results recorded by candidates in national exams, inadequate facilities for learning and teaching thereby forcing parents to send their wards to foreign countries for training. What do you think can be done to reverse the slide?
It appears that some of us are just alone in the wilderness. You go, you sing, nobody hears. You shout and nobody listens. We are in a very terrible shape. You can see the results in the nationally conducted examinations in the last couple of years.?
A few years back when teachers in our primary and secondary schools went for about two months on nationwide strike, people took it for granted. They thought there was no problem, but there was big problem because the damage that was caused within the system is what we are witnessing now. For heaven sake, how much is a primary or secondary school teacher being paid compared to other professionals?
We will take two steps forward and many steps backward. The truth is that today, many people are taking their children outside Nigeria for them to go and get university education. Many people are taking their children to Ghana to get university education. What does Ghanaians have that surpasses Nigeria? It is their will and determination to have quality education for their own children that is now attracting us to send our children there.
What is the NLC position on the proposed plan by Mr. President to remove the oil subsidy?
Since this story on the removal of oil subsidy came, the position of the NLC in this country has been very clear. In fact our national headquarters commissioned a team that did a thorough and comprehensive work on the whole politics of oil subsidy removal. And this rich book provided all the scenarios, and at the end of the day, there were conditions that labour presented to the government to meet before they could begin to talk of removing oil subsidy. And some of these recommendations include the provision of additional refineries in the country that would process enough fuel for local consumption instead of wholesale importation. We also called for the provision of good roads, electricity and other vital infrastructure as preconditions for removing subsidy.
But none of these things has been done while the government is concluding plans to remove subsidy. The other day you saw how some people went to Abuja and told the president that they supported fuel subsidy removal without considering the consequences. You see the problem I have with government in this country is that somebody would come from a very poor background, get into the position of power and suddenly forgets where he came from.
It is a very sad commentary for us in this very country. For heaven sake, are we importing crude oil from another country? Is it not a free gift from the Almighty God? Why should we subject our people to avoidable suffering all in a bid by a few persons to enrich themselves? When you go to other oil producing countries don’t you see many infrastructure that make life very easy for the citizens? Do we have such facilities here despite many years of oil production? What do we have to show in Nigeria for the over 50 years of oil?? Why can’t we alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians with the oil money instead of adding to their misery? Once they remove this so call subsidy, the suffering of our people cannot be quantified
What do you think is the reason behind the incessant clamour for the removal of subsidy by successive Nigerian leaders?
We are not honest and there is a lot of corruption in the system and nobody is prepared to address the monster. If the subsidy is removed today, I can guarantee you that the hardship and the sufferings that will accompany it would be monumental and unbearable by the average Nigerian. Mark my word.? You will even be asking yourself, where are those things they said they were going to do to cushion the effect because our infrastructure is in a terrible shape. They are in a mess. They cannot support a fully deregulated economy. We will never abandon the Nigerian people if they government goes ahead to remove subsidy. We will fight for their rights under the law.
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Despite the passage of the National Minimum Wage law by the national Assembly and the agreement by the federal government to pay the new wage of N18, 000, some states are still adamant on the issue. How does labour react to this recalcitrance?
Those governors are enemies of democracy in Nigeria. Some of the governors are behaving as if they are gods. Democracy is not practised like that. Democracy means that you do what the people want for them. It is not about flaunting yourself as the governor or chief executive of the state. If a law is made, the first set of people that we expect to respect the law are the chief executives. So, if they have disobeyed this law, some of them from April to this moment, give me one moral reason why they should continue to occupy that position. So, as far as some of us are concerned, we are looking at the kind of dangerous politics they are playing with breaking the laws of the land. However, I wish to commend those states that have already paid the new minimum wage.
In Taraba, the agreement was signed, payment started last month but we discovered that all workers have not been paid. As I speak with you, primary school teachers and local government staff have not been paid. And these two agencies have the bulk of the civil servants in the state.
Our position is that until every civil servant is paid, we would not clap the government.
Some of the past governors are still being hunted by the Economy and Financial Crime Commission. Do you think the development will teach the incumbent governors any lesson in financial prudence?
Well the immunity clause is doing most of them a lot of favour. But like you said, the day of planting and reaping will always be there. So it is good to be on the side of the people and to do what the people want, so that even after leaving office, the legacies will serve to remind the people of their tenure. But I want to say that what is happening in Nigeria is a big shame to the rest of Africa. Some of these smaller countries are getting it right.
If it is election, we rig election, if it is public funds, we siphon, and we make huge budgetary outlays for infrastructure but the projects do not see the light of the day. As far as I am concerned, there is no need for any immunity clause in our constitution. Why should you allow somebody to wait for four or eight years as the case may be before you apprehend him and after the apprehension, they go there and secure bail which is as good as the end of the cases. The way we are going, only God knows the numbers of years that the judicial system will take to be able to prosecute these people. Obviously, Nigeria is a very funny country.
Do you support the idea that INEC should be given the responsibility of conducting local government elections in Nigeria?
?I support the idea hundred percent because of the manipulation of the state electoral commissions by the respective states thereby making a mockery of local government polls in the country. They appoint people of their respective parties into the councils in the name of election. It is to say the least, very shameful and unbecoming of people who claim to be democrats. Allowing SIEC to conduct council’s election is one of the dangers of democracy and should not be allowed to continue in Nigeria.