The current palliative outline by the Ondo State government is nothing but a charade; it will end up in individuals’ purses, just like the Covid-19 palliative. Better still, considering the political appointees in charge who are eyeing to be the next governor, the seven billion naira worth of largesse will become electioneering materials for Ondo 2024 to woo their supporters.*
The recent removal of fuel subsidy by the newly sworn-in Commander in Chief of the armed forces has brought untold hardship to the already perishing, barely surviving commoners in our dear country. The cost of living has skyrocketed, the current inflation rate is unbearable, and asking civil servants to have thirty thousand naira as the minimum wage is nothing but criminality of the highest order, quoting the former Nigerian Labour Congress’ national president turned successful politician, Sen. Adams Oshiomole, the former two-term governor of Edo State. The subsidy must go, the ugly disadvantages have outweighed its presumed benefits, that is the gospel truth. It’s a must that this economic cancer called subsidy be removed entirely for Nigeria to witness any meaningful progress.
In the last presidential electioneering process, all the major candidates, namely Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Mr Peter Obi agreed to the fact of removing this economic nuisance called a subsidy. Even the popular human rights activist and social crusader, Mr Allen Sowore, the publisher of the Sahara Reporters, also lent his voice in support of the subsidy must go. However, the approaches to its elimination would have differentiated these aspired presidential candidates. The first gift of Sen. Ahmed Tinubu GCFR was the announcement of subsidy removal in his inauguration speech. Since then, the Nigerian economy hasn’t remained the same in a negative direction. This action was described by one of the human rights activists, Mr. Dele Farotimi ESQ, as a surgery without anesthesia, which I reframed better according to my knowledge in the field of medicine. As a surgeon, I likened it to performing a Cesarean section on a pregnant woman with good indication and intention without any form of anesthesia. Definitely, such an individual will be termed a killer, not a doctor.
As much as I would like to be fair to Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, who just took over the leadership in less than 3 months, it’s obvious that our president and his team are slow in reeling out palliative measures. The banks and other private sectors have doubled the wages of their employees just to cushion the adverse effects of the necessary evil termed ‘subsidy removal,’ but the federal government is yet to pronounce the reasonable minimum salary for civil servants. In all truthfulness, the former president, Muhammad Buhari’s administration did little or nothing in regard to palliative, and that lackluster immediate past administration deserves the blame for the current woes due to the inadequacy in preparation towards this subsidy removal that has brought hardship to our people.
The initial ten thousand naira per vulnerable Nigerian, planned to be given by the federal government, met serious criticism, and the decision was later rescinded with another mandate that necessitated the state and local governments to take up the bulk of the challenge to have a more effective connection with the grassroots. Many governors, from the current chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, His Excellency, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the governor of Kwara state, gave enviable palliative packages to his state. In the same vein, the Borno state governor, Prof. Babangana Zulum, as usual, is doing everything possible to alleviate the suffering of his people. Also, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State reduced the cost of the popular state-owned mass transit and statewide rail transportation system as part of his plans to make life worthy of living for the Lagosians.
Ondo State recently came alive following the constitution of a palliative committee consisting of some favorite commissioners in Aketi’s administration. The outline for the Sunshine people raised a major concern for the lovers of the state. Surprisingly, one of the core supporters of Aketi’s wickedness termed government, Mr. Lanre Tuigbiyile, a mental health specialist and social analyst, raised a cogent point through his short but reasonable write-up this morning that further opened my understanding and prompted this article. In Mr. Tugbiyile’s statement titled ‘MR. ACTING GOVERNOR, BEFORE YOU SHARE THE 10k AND FINISH THE MONEY,’ he complained about gratuities of the pensioners which were last paid almost 10 years ago, during Dr. Mimiko’s administration.
I replied by acknowledging the sagacity of the man called Mr. Tugbi, believed to be loaded with the right ideas. He only chose to follow Aketi’s administration blindly. However, I gave kudos to his voice for the dying pensioners this time. Instead of the useless palliative they are currently planning that will end in the accounts of the government’s cronies like the Covid-19 palliative, it’s rational for the governor to pay the backlog of arrears for civil servants like leave bonuses and 13 months salary arrears of members of staff at Rufus Giwa Polytechnics, Owo, in which a significant number of teaching and non-teaching staff have died of hunger and hardship, courtesy of Aketi and his wickedness in the state.
Ondo State, as a civil servants’ state, will have money in circulation when the needs of public servants are met, and gratuities are paid to the Arakunrin neglected pensioners. Moreover, medical doctors vis-a-vis health workers will prefer to stay in medical personnel deserted Sunshine-owned hospitals if the increased hazard allowance for health workers and MRTF for resident doctors are approved like their federal government counterparts. It’s of note that non-oil-producing and poor states like Ekiti and Benue states have done likewise to discourage medical staff against the trending JAPA syndrome. Definitely, these will change the narrative in Ondo State.
The current palliative outline in Ondo State is nothing but rubbish and a charade, except for the free shuttle buses, a great avenue for Aketi’s appointees to steal as usual. The rest will end up in individuals’ purses as the 2024 governorship is on the way. Many of the appointees in charge of this largesse are eyeing to be the next governor, and they will convert the palliative to electioneering materials. As Aketi’s wife had rightly said, these favorite appointees have looted the state dry under Aketi’s watch, just for them to have time to enjoy their loots, thanks to Mrs. Betty Akeredolu for this evergreen revelation. They should revisit the current rubbish called palliative in Ondo State.
*Dr. Akeredolu O.N., Leader, Aketi Medical Team 2016, Vice Chairman, Aketi-Aiyedatiwa Medical Committee, 2020*
