28th April, 2011
With just a month to handover to the Ogun State Governor-Elect, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, incumbent governor, Gbenga Daniel, appeared to be pursuing a ‘scorched earth policy’, doing everything possible to stall the smooth take off the incoming ACN administration in the state.
Indications to this emerge yesterday when it was discovered that Governor Danied had hurriedly approved certain expenditures that will constitute a burden to his successor and stoke the embers of violent protests and discontent.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that Daniel has just approved the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage to take effect from 31 May after he must have handed over to Amosun.
By the country’s constitution, Daniel is expected to hand over to Amosun on 29 May, two days before the payment of the new minimum wage is due.
Another obstacle Daniel has placed on Amosun’s way is his recent promotion of108 secondary school principals and over 100 headteachers of primary schools to salary grade level 17, the highest grade in the civil service.
Daniel also ordered the employment of 2,000 university graduates as teachers in the state. The recruits are slated to sit for an interview at the Abeokuta Grammar School, Abeokuta, next Tuesday.
P.M.NEWS gathered that Governor Daniel who delayed the promotion of teachers and civil servants in the last two years by claiming that the state had no money to pay salary arrears gave the approval for the current promotion exercise shortly before Senator Amosun was announced as the governor-elect on Tuesday.
An aide to Governor Daniel who craved anonymity told our correspondent that Daniel also gave approval for the appointment of four Headmasters-General for primary schools in four zones across the state.
The aide explained that Daniel made the appointments and promotions in line with his promise to the people of Ogun. He defended his boss on the timing, saying governance is a continuous exercise. The aide said the incoming governor will continue where his boss stopped.
Speaking with our correspondent on phone, an executive member of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, who does not want his name in print frowned at the development, saying that the outgoing governor does not mean well for his successor.
He queried the governor for the long delay in the appointments and promotions and wondered why the governor approved the release of promotion letters with payment of salary arrears which will become a burden to the incoming government.
“The governor has not remitted the pension fund of all workers in Ogun State to the appropriate quarters to date. He claimed to have paid the 2010 leave bonus of secondary school teachers but he has not done so. I am one of the victims.
“The Tai Solarin College of Education, TASCOE has been closed for over eight months now because of non payment of salaries of lecturers. All these will constitute bottlenecks for the new government because a lot of things have gone wrong in the state,†the NUT official said.
P.M.NEWS also gathered that the Principal of Igbile Community High School, Igbile-Ijebu, Mr. Salako and Mr. Osunsanya of Anglican Comprehensive High School, Ikoto, were among the 108 principals that were hurriedly promoted to Grade Level 17 by Daniel.
Reacting to this development, an elected member of the House of Representatives in Ijebu Central Federal Constituency, Hon. Kehinde Odeneye, gave assurance that the governor-elect, Senator Amosun and his team will act accordingly.
The ACN member said Daniel’s steps appeared absurd. He asked: “Why is he doing those things he claimed were not possible now? Where did he get the money for those promotions and appointments now? Who dragged the state to its present financial mess? I like to assure Ogun people that Senator Amosun is up to the task. The ACN government in the state will put things right.â€
While bribing Ogun State people to secure votes for his emergency party, the PPN, Daniel announced the reduction of fees paid by students in Ogun tertiary institutions. But the ploy did not sufficiently win his protege, Gboyega Isiaka, the votes to win the Ogun governorship race.
— Biodun Onafuye/Abeokuta