By Ifeanyi Afuba

Something close to a revolution occurred in the media industry in Anambra State in the first week of June 2017.  It was a milestone that brought to an end a sad and sorry condition that had haunted workers of the State owned media – the Anambra Broadcasting Service and National Light for the past 25 years.

The change of fortunes which had seemed impossible came about through Governor Willie Obiano’s decisive intervention. While the jubilation arising from the rights restoration continues to resound, the weighty lesson is on the imperative of good governance.

How much do the people count in the scheme of things? The Church, the divine institution mandated to transmit the redemptive work of Christ through the ages, has set us a standard. By 257 AD, Emperor Valerian had intensified the persecution of the Church.  He arrested and later ordered the beheading of Pope Sixtus II.

Consumed with a thirst to appropriate the wealth of the Church, he invited Lawrence, the head deacon and next in authority to the Pontiff to save his own neck by surrendering the Church’s possessions.  In the three days he was given to assemble the coveted riches, Lawrence diligently distributed these to the needy. On the appointed day, however, he approached the emperor’s court followed by a huge crowd. Turning to the company of the poor, serfs, widows, orphans and ragtag mendicants accompanying him, he said to the emperor: behold, the treasures of the Church!

While Lawrence was roasted to death for his conviction, he had nonetheless borne imperishable witness on the mission of the Church. The State like the Church has a constructive role to play in society, functioning to stabilize the system and mediate conflicts between groups.  Deriving from this regulatory capacity, the State assumes responsibility for the protection of individual rights and freedom.

In practice however, governments tend to shirk their obligations toward the citizenry, and would invent a torrent of excuses to rationalize non-compliance. The import of the social contract between the State and the citizens is commonly understood to the effect that the interest of the people is the highest law. Yet, even with the elastic pull of democratic rule, it often takes strategic pressure for many governments to accede to legitimate popular demands.

While socialism certainly has its drawbacks, the new face of capitalism as practised in Nigeria and many developing countries has its own flaws.  The ‘gospel’ of competition which firebrand capitalists never tire of proclaiming remains an unequal and unhealthy competition.  And the current fashion for privatization of enterprises established with the commonwealth, remains at the bottom line, an escapist track.

There are a number of social services, essential in nature, which governments have a duty to deliver to the citizenry. If governments should not provide potable water, electricity, healthcare, and other infrastructure, directly or indirectly, to the population, then what is the function of government?  It amounts to abdication of responsibility for a government to transfer the provision of social services to new investors in the privatization scheme. There is perhaps need to remind our leaders who have fallen for the privatization and commercialization lobby as the cure all economic policy that the essence of governance is the welfare of the citizens and security of society.

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The Obiano administration has received powerful testimonials for its strides on the economy and infrastructural development. However, for this writer, the very responsiveness of government to the condition of the people takes precedence over other achievements.  For in the response of government to the issues affecting the citizenry, we gauge the sensitivity of government and its regard for those on whose behalf it exercises power. The resolve of the Obiano administration to righting the wrongs against sections of the state workforce marks him out as a leader committed to upholding the dignity of the citizen.

First, was liquidation of the N1.9 billion naira salary arrears owed workers of the State Water Corporation and Sanitation, Environment & Protection Agency by three previous administrations in November 2014. And how did the Obiano administration come to inherit this burdensome debt? The regrettable episode which started over 15 years ago was traceable to a transition fault line.

The cost of servicing political patronage had proved too high as to impede the ability of the government to discharge its obligations to the electorate. As it turned out, successor regimes were unwilling to shoulder the burden.   

Resort to sophistry prolonged the dispute. The curious argument was introduced that the state government was not bound to give grants to the State Water Corporation for paying staff salary since the edict setting up the establishment made it self-sustaining.  An offer of a joint contributory fund to salvage the institution from its woes was rejected by the workers who took the matter to the Industrial Arbitration Court. 

The court ruled in favour of the workers as it determined the responsibility of the State Government to the employees of its agency. On appeal, the State Government lost the case a second time in 2013. Mercifully, Governor Obiano would neither seek legal or political maneuvers for evading or delaying the responsibility but graciously released the sum of N1.9 billion to offset the debt. 

Characteristically, the Governor has once more taken the bull by the horns on the controversy over pension rights for workers of National Light and some categories of staff of the ABS.  In a move that took even the most passionate agitators by surprise, the state government on Thursday, 8 June, 2017 undertook to clear the 25-year liability to retirees of National Light and 17 year old benefits of former ABS staff, bringing to an end two years of complex negotiations. Consequently, the sum of N670 m has been approved to clear the said arrears.  It is significant to note that this same Governor, without anyone’s prompting, had increased workers’ salary by fifteen percent in the first year of his administration.

The decision of Governor Willlie Obiano to commit the state government to the liquidation of this embarrassing debt is salutary, humane and courageous.  It is both a function of responsive governance and an act of magnanimity.  The singular resolve to bear the burden of resolving this avoidable jam says something about attitude to the people’s plight. Heaven only can describe the physical, mental, psychological and emotional pain the victims endured while the situation lingered. 

    A dark chapter in Anambra’s narrative has mercifully come to an end. The resolution is a victory for rule of law and good governance. Now, while the pastoral care of the Church may be taken for granted, it is enlivening to realize that even in this era of crass capitalism the people could still be considered among the treasures of the State.

Afuba writes from Awka.