Kwara Political Economy : The Education Sector and The Covid-19 Pandemic

Evidently the last general election witnessed the exit of the People’s Democratic Party’s grip on the political governing of Kwara State.

The people trooped out in mass chanting  the ‘otoge’ slogan/mantra that took over the airwaves during the electioneering period.

Once again the electorate acted ‘blind’ in one direction, having tasted a bitter part of governance, a situation that can wholely or partly be attributed to global economic melt-down during the last administration.

The major determinants of the last general election,that sees the emergence of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in power, can greatly be attributed to Kwara civil servants (and particularly LGA/SUBEB staffs).

Like never before in Kwara state and for the first time since former Governor Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki left office, the government as led by the previous administration goes down in history as a government that owed salaries, paid salaries in ridiculous percentages, stalled payment of salary arrears till it exited governance, refuses to activate promotions with payment.

But we should note that his predecessor, Dr.Abubakar Bukola Saraki didn’t owe salaries during his days as Governor of Kwara State and salary payment was on time putting into consideration global economic melt down.

A lot of bitterness ensued from kwara civil servants (LGA & SUBEB staffs) and the electorate due to poor living standard of the masses and poor cash flow in Kwara economy as a result of lack of salary payment.

The kwara economy can,to a great extent be  seen as an economy whose major determinant of cash flow is her civil/public servants.

The hatred for the last administration  only interpretes love for the Otoge camp, especially the civil servants who dominates the state in number and have a great voting strength.

The All Progressive Congress (APC) came with promises of hope during the electioneering period and it won hearts of the electorate as it seems to mean a good living condition and an end to hunger, as the frontiers of the ‘otoge’ crusade rents the air with promises of :-

·       implementation of N30k minimum wage – meaning improvement in the standard of living of the electorate, as their will be more circulation of cash within the kwara economy.

·       Ensuring that the N18k minimum wage cut across board.

·       Implementation of stalled and due promotions.

·       Infrastructural development and many more

This are the hopes of the electorate and what a market woman or ordinary citizen can relate with.

A lot of social media self acclaimed journalists should be held responsible for deceitful write ups /praise singing.

A working government is best described in the words of an ordinary citizen or market woman unbiased.

The question that kept bugging my mind when some school of thought in Kwara State believes the government is too young to live up to the people’s high expectations or her campaign promises yet, is ,when will the government be too old to have overplayed or redeemed her campaign   promises?.Especially in the education sector where we have the SUBEB staffs

SUBEB staffs are always on the receiving end of the government fiscal policies as compared to other parastatals and even TESCOM teachers that works alongside SUBEB staffs in the same school.

Revamping the educational sector should center greatly around provission of learning materials – textbooks covering other subjects and not just literacy and numeracy.

Abolished practices in schools due to government educational policies should be reviewed, especially skill centered subjects like crafts, PHE, drawing and painting, language etc.

I always say that the school should be seen and approached as a semi-spiritual organization because teachers speaks to the mind of the learners through religious studies.

Teacher shapes a child’s life through Counselling (which as been abolished in most schools),and extra curricula activities (games, drama etc).

Selection of school heads should be based on merit and training should be accorded that position on school management and good human relation.

Some of the diseases ‘sucking up life’ in our schools are hardly found spoken of and i called it the diseases eating up the system.

And this is greatly attributed to school management and the conventional ways of doing things.

Our academic sector should evolve along-side modern technology and civilization.

The government can’t expect good education of our wards with the expectations that a primary school class teacher must be able to teach all subjects – that undermines professionalism in the sector. And will always rub negatively on the potentials our wards could possibly reach through information gathered during lessons.

Governance is a continued process or a living entity experiencing change in management.

Good or bad, a government inherits the ‘wealth’ or ‘pains’ of his predecessor.

And having understood where the shoe pinches the electorates during the pre-election era and made promises of bringing ‘healing’ to the ‘wounds’ of the electorate, it becomes imminent to remind the government that prompt payment of SUBEB & LGA staffs salary will rub positively on kwara economy and the redemption of promises of clearing salary backlogs, implementation of promotions with pay ,ensuring that the N18k minimum wage cut across board and the implementation of the N30k minimum wage will further improve our economy as it will not only put smiles on these workers that voted-in the government but on every market woman, petty trader, plumber, trader, carpenter, pharmacists etc .

The effect of that singular act of payment of salary arrears and salary review with respect to the N18k and N30k minimum wage will rob positively on the economy of kwara state and when the electorates are happy, it could only mean one thing – the government is working .

And sad as it may, the Covid-19 pandemic is upon us, slowing down economic activities all over the world.

As we fight to survive this pandemic, the government should start putting a good consideration to the post covid-19 economy

May God heal the world.

Happy one year anniversary to his Excellency, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak and 53rd anniversary of kwara state.

penned : Michael Adeniyi