Eromosele Ebhomele
Doyin Okupe, former senior special assistant on Public Affairs to Goodluck Jonathan
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, on Wednesday said it was disappointed in Dr. Doyin Okupe, former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan over his call for the sack of workers in some states in Nigeria.
Okupe, a former Senior Special Assistant to Jonathan, has been receiving some bashing for asking governors to reduce their workforce instead of begging for bailout from the Federal Government.
President of the TUC, Bobboi Bala Kaigama, and Acting Secretary-General of the labour union, Comrade (Barr.) Simeso Amachree, said: “rather than making such obnoxious pronouncement; and being one of the forces that accentuated the suffocation of the immediate past administration from within, Dr. Okupe should have called on all the anti-corruption agencies to do a thorough investigation on where and how the released bailouts to some states were diverted.
“One thing Okupe evidently did not realise is that it is no longer business as usual. Or is the man indirectly soliciting for a job or some other form of patronage from the present administration?
“Indeed it is unfortunate that any of the masterminds of the nation’s present economic predicament should aspire to be amongst those in positions of authority in the country.
“It is our thinking that states would be able to meet their financial obligations if their governors look inward and bring back state monies starched in both foreign and local personal banks accounts. We expect serious sanctions to be visited on these governors,” the TUC said.
The congress said Okupe had argued that between 2008 and 2009, Ogun State received N2 billion monthly from the federation account and paid out N1.8 billion as staff salaries, wages and overhead costs to civil servants who constitute not more than 50,000 in a state with a population of 5,000,000.
“This may or may not be true, but he failed to state the amount the state generates internally.
“Okupe’s antecedents have shown him to be consistently inconsistent and we smell a rat. However, we anticipate that his uncharacteristic posture of sympathy with the states and the Federal Government on their financial plight will not move the President Buhari-led administration.
“If he is really so concerned, perhaps he should release at least 60 percent of the money he amassed while in office as Special Assistant to the former president,” TUC said.
“Assuming his claim that all state governments have over-bloated civil service is true, why has he failed to worked out how many sets of N18, 000 there are in the over N2, 000, 000 monthly remuneration and tens of millions of naira constituency allowances of a Senator?
“He should have as well come up with the number of aides that each state governor has, plus the security votes of the governors. The bane of development and incessant crisis we have recorded over the years is simply because less than 10 percent of Nigerians have cornered over 90 percent of the nation’s resources.
“Until there is equity in the distribution of the nation’s resources people like Okupe may not sleep well because of the cries of the children of the poor whose lot they neglected to improve while in public office.
“Okupe and his likes should know that no government, state or federal, does its people a favour by employing them. It is the government’s duty and responsibility, which it cannot abdicate, to create jobs.
“We warn the Federal Government to be wary of wolves in sheep’s clothing, men and women whose stock in trade is to ensure that the Government does not succeed. Nigeria and Nigerians are in pains and seek viable ways out of the woods, so Okupe should keep his warped views to himself.”
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