28th September, 2012
The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has advised Governor Babatunde Fashola to admit failure in governance and do the needful by confessing to Lagosians the actual ACN forces and pressures that have made governance difficult for him to the extent that virtually all sectors of the government has embarked on strikes in the last five years of his administration.
The state publicity secretary of the party, Taofeek Gani who said this in a statement made available to Political Platform, added that the advice should be heeded within 14 days to avoid the imminent insurrection against his administration.
The advice is coming on the heels of the recent teacher’s strike in the State.
The party opined that the situation now is very unimaginable and demands that Governor Fashola speaks out on his constraints in government.
“Honestly, the situation in Lagos State baffles us. The state has no excuse to neglect the teachers. The demand of the teachers for 27.5% salary increment is modest especially as at least 17 other states in the country have been paying same. Lagos State is wealthy but the ACN-led government is not prudent, proactive and conversant with the immediate needs of the people, thus squandering the state’s resources on white elephant projects that do not have any direct impact on the people.
“A state that has collected over N17 trillion from the Federal Government, realises at least N48billion monthly as IGR should be solvent enough to pay its workers. Our schools system has collapsed. It is either the tertiary institution is too expensive to access or the junior schools are shut. This calls for concern and the ACN must admit its failure,” he stated.
We counsel thus:
•That the SURE-P allocation to the state be immediately deployed to pay the teachers and also subsidise the LASU school fees;
•That the government must stop wastage like the Eko Atlantic City Project;
•That the government must stop extortionist tax system in order to motivate corporate bodies to resume their support to public schools;
•That the government should give scholarship to at least two children of teachers in the state.
The party, however, appealed to the striking teachers to be keen on amicable settlement in the interest of the innocent students.
—Jamiu Yisa