Info For You Lot Blame Finance Government Minister For Asuu Strike

ASUU STRIKE: Blame finance minister

In this article, Dr Olusegun Ajiboye, ASUU University of Ibadan branch chairman shares why the Finance Minister of the federation should last blamed for the ongoing ASUU Strike:

"This is a regime that signed an understanding amongst us on Jan 24, 2012, to the effect that they would inject N100 bn every bit funding into the universities inward the get-go month; too that earlier the halt of 2012, they would inject some other N300 bn.”
- Dr Olusegun Ajiboye, ASUU University of Ibadan branch chairman, August 14, 2013.


Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala increasingly is cutting a distressing figure every bit Finance Minister. And zero has demonstrated this fact to a greater extent than than her utterances on the nail yesteryear the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

To start with, she announced, every bit if it was true, that regime cannot pay the N92 billion causing the introduce palaver. She turned out to last incorrect on 3 counts at to the lowest degree – none of which does her reputation every bit a global fiscal proficient whatsoever good. It was piteous defense forcefulness too exposed her every bit individual who did non produce her homework real good earlier commenting on a vital national issue.

First, every bit Dr Ajiboye pointed out, N92 billion represented a figment of the imagination of the one-time World Bank Managing Director. Ajiboye, a valid illustration of all the ASUU creditors, told us that the sum due to them was N87 billion; non N92 billion. Even for a wasteful administration, overpaying yesteryear N5 billion would receive got been reprehensible. There is a lot of goodness function which regime tin produce amongst N5 billion instead of throwing it away carelessly. Throwing world coin away carelessly was what led to the fuel subsidy scam which tarnished her reputation inward 2011/2012 when she jumped into the fray without checking her facts properly.

Second, her argument virtually government’s inability to pay lacked credibility too was presently discredited yesteryear the President. There is a distinct divergence betwixt “can’t pay” too “won’t pay”. The one-time admits of fiscal weakness or destitution; the latter connotes willful refusal to award an understanding into which regime voluntarily entered.

For the Minister of a regime which allowed the province to last defrauded of over N1 trillion to claim that regime cannot pay N92 billion or less than 1 per cent, is an insult to the news of Nigerians too discredit to regime itself. As if to bear witness that the Minister spoke, non for regime simply herself, the President a few days later ordered that to a greater extent than than N92 billion last released to the universities. That gild yesteryear Jonathan had elevated Okonjo-Iweala’s claim from the realm of the incredible to a colossal lie. Where volition regime observe N100 billion to comport out the President’s instructions if it cannot afford N92 billion?

But, all those pale yesteryear comparing amongst Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s existent contribution to this awful national calamity. Read Dr Ajiboye’s assertions 1 time to a greater extent than too the shrewd reader tin readily come across the genesis of this whole mess. In Jan final year, long later the 2013 budget had been presented to the National Assembly, evidently amongst no provisions for paying the N87 billion owed to ASUU, the President, who at that fourth dimension was facing a national revolt on concern human relationship of fuel toll growth from N65 per litre to N141 did non desire some other ASUU nail to add together to the uprising. So, government, perchance ill-advisedly too hastily promised ASUU N400 billion additional money; that brought the full debt payable inward 2013 to N487 billion.

Call it incompetence or lack of courage and/or integrity, simply given a 2012 budget, from which whatsoever provisions for ASUU had been excluded, promising xi per cent of final year’s budget to the academic staff of universities was fraudulent. When Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745, wrote that, “Promises, similar pie-crusts, are made to last broken”, (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p203), he must receive got had a regime similar the introduce 1 inward mind. It is 1 regime on whose promises nobody should rely. So 2012 ended without regime honouring its agreements. That was bad enough.

Any fiscal officer, involved inward budgeting, knows that when planning the budget for whatsoever year, you lot must convey into concern human relationship all the bills yesteryear due also every bit those probable to autumn due during the twelvemonth – if the determination is to pay. They tin alone last ignored if at that topographic point is a willful too witting determination non to pay too to damn the consequences.

The fiasco this fourth dimension unopen to has occurred because the Finance Minister either forgot to brand provisions for paying the N487 billion, non fifty-fifty N92 billion every bit she claimed, or because she deliberately excluded those outstanding bills. Forgetting such a huge liability demonstrates incompetence too gross negligence – for which the state is forthwith paying dearly. Remembering that the debts are long overdue too deliberately ignoring them is proof beyond reasonable dubiousness of lack of budgetary integrity. It does non ask the towering news of a Harvard graduate to predict the resultant of that benign fail of government’s obligations.

Unfortunately for the government, for the Minister too all the other stakeholders, “All things produce assist the unhappy human being to fall”, according to Shakespeare, 1564-1616, this years budget is inward shreds. The same Finance Minister has been leading the regime officials telling us virtually the shortfall inward revenue on concern human relationship of alleged unsmooth crude oil theft. As much every bit 400,000 barrels a solar daytime is stolen – apparently amongst regime helpless to depository fiscal establishment gibe the pillage.

H5N1 recent written report estimated that crude oil revenue inward July of this twelvemonth dropped yesteryear 42% compared to the same catamenia final year. By a vicious twist of fate, the province had moved from won’t pay closer to can’t pay. There is no coin inward the budget to pay ASUU N487 billion; that is certain. Just every bit certainly is the fact that, fifty-fifty if Okonjo-Iweala had non been careless, at that topographic point in all likelihood would receive got been no coin to pay the entire bill.

Realising the government’s partly self-imposed predicament, Jonathan had approved component subdivision payment of the outstanding debts. Ordinarily, that should receive got induced Nigerians to rising upward too urge ASUU to convey the half-loaf too human face till side yesteryear side twelvemonth for the balance. However, given government’s reputation every bit a dead-beat, on whose words nobody tin rely, at that topographic point has been no outcry against ASUU for refusing the offer. This is the closest affair to an economical Mexican stand-off that anyone tin imagine too alone divine intervention tin resolve the mess – thank you lot to the Finance Minister; who should know better. Nobody, amongst the minutest sense inward drawing upward budgets should receive got made that mistake.

The most of import inquiry forthwith is: volition the 2014 budget reverberate the payment due to ASUU – fifty-fifty if the lecturers convey the offered half-loaf? If it does not, ASUU’s provide to the campuses volition last short-lived. They volition last out 1 time to a greater extent than inward 2014.

Finally, the Finance Minister has in all likelihood antagonized the 1 grouping every world usage holder should avoid at all costs. University dons are non alone articulate, they are the most song grouping inward the province too the most influential persuasion molders. Henceforth, they volition cease every chance to cutting her downward to size. This episode, soundless it ends, has 1 time once to a greater extent than raised the possibility that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala mightiness non last unopen to much longer. She was recruited to construct confidence inward the government’s economical policy team.

Starting amongst her staunch defense forcefulness of the subsidy removal, based on falsified data, she had stumbled from 1 contention to another. Instead of offering solutions, she is increasingly perceived every bit component subdivision of the problem. She in all likelihood has non come upward across that famous argument yesteryear Arthur Dewing inward the Harvard Business Review, Oct 1923. “Behind the facts of economic science are the facts of psychology..the emotions of fearfulness too confidence…”. H5N1 lot of people are losing, or receive got lost confidence inward the Minister. That’s bad for her too bad for Nigeria.

Source: www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/asuu-strike-blame-finance-minister

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