THE salary crisis across Nigeria in government service is only a snippet of the abandonment Nigerians face in their democratically elected governments. We have had democracy without the people, except at elections where even peoples’ votes may not count.
How could our governments have run for months without paying salaries and pensions? Why did the economic difficulties that supposedly resulted in the hiatus not affect the lifestyle of governors and their families throughout the months of non-payment of salaries? There was not a single example of the economic challenges reflecting in the lives of our first families. What we heard were fabulous tales of their acquisitions, in addition to living at phases we never thought were possible.
For a long time, our people have been on their own, catering for themselves. It is in extreme cases like these that we hear about persistent failures of governments. Few actions of government consider the welfare of the people, not minding that politicians execute elections campaigns as if the people would have a part in governments they elect.
Democracy is defined as government of the people by the people for the people, our Constitution made the matter more modern in its prescriptions about the centrality of the people to our democratic governments. Concerns about the welfare of the people, according to our Constitution, should be the foundation of government actions.
Section 14 2 (b) of the 1999 Constitution states, “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”. All our governments elected since 1999 swear to the Constitution, including Section 14 2(b), with the same blind enthusiasm with which they get into office, thinking only of power and how they could use it for themselves and few others.
The indifferent position of governments, not only in Abuja, to Section 14 2(b) is responsible for democratic governments that have unapologetically become government of the people “without the people”.
Suggestions that the Federal Government should grant loans to States to offset the backlog of salaries face some challenges. The number of States in crisis could be more than the 18 often listed. More importantly, there is no law to regulate the financial relationship. Though Section 164. (1), provides that, “The Federation may make grants to a State to supplement the revenue of that State in such sum and subject to such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the National Assembly,” the National Assembly did not make such laws in 16 years.
We can scale this hurdle through a “doctrine of necessity” , but we need governments that run on Section 14 2(b).
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