Date: 2014-10-09

In continuation of our mission to expose the nefarious ways in which the present Bukola Saraki/AbdulFatah Ahmed led Kwara state government is being run, the following are some of the injustices meted out to the civil servants in Kwara.

Rip off on Vehicle Loan to Civil Servants: it was discovered that the civil servants are being ripped off by the Kwara state government through the exorbitant interest being paid on the vehicle loan granted them by some commercial banks. We hasten to inform Kwarans that this was a loan structured by the Kwara state government through some commercial banks. Kwarans however will be surprised to know that Kwara civil servants with their meager pay are being made to pay as much as N80, 000.00 on a vehicle loan of N500, 000.00. It is apparent that the Kwara state government is making unholy deals on the backs of hardworking Kwara civil servants. Definitely this has all the traits of a dishonest arrangement.

Disregard for Civil Service Rules, Regulations and Procedures: Since 2003 till date, the age long civil service procedure, norms, rules, and regulations generally regarded as due processes are being disregarded to pave way for the well planned looting of the state treasury to meet the insatiable interest of Bukola Saraki.

Stagnation of Civil Servant's Career: Since 2003 till date, the Government of Kwara state under the watch of Bukola Saraki/AbdulFatah Ahmed had caused career stagnation for serving civil servants through appointments of persons outside the state civil service to top leadership positions in the service. The following are typical examples out of many:

Dabarako Mohammed: He was brought into the Kwara state civil service from the Nigeria Manpower Development Authority in 2005. At the time he was leaving the NMDA, he was on salary grade level 14 but Bukola Saraki disregarded all civil service rules to appoint Dabarako as a Permanent Secretary in the state civil service.

We hasten to remind fellow Kwarans that as at the time Dabarako was being elevated over and above many of his more experienced seniors in the civil service, in particular, Pategi LGA where Dabarako hails from parades experienced senior civil servants who were already on salary grade level 16. One of the most painful during this era was the case of Alhaji Koro who as at 2005, was not only a senior to Dabarako Mohammed but was also one of the most experienced in the entire Kwara state civil service. People like Alhaji Koro were passed over; sidelined, marginalized and inexperienced people like Dabarako were elevated.

This is typical of the style of Bukola Saraki and the ruination he has brought to the Kwara state civil service. As if that was not enough, the same Dabarako Mohammed, who knew little or nothing about the civil service was upgraded to become the Head of the State Civil Service since 2008 to date. The power that is in the state has retained this fellow because he is a tested and trusted stooge.

Appointment of Tope Daramola a non-Kwaran as Director General Kwara State Bureau of Lands. This same man has been moved to head the state Government owned Harmony Holdings Ltd; a conglomerate consisting of 21 subsidiary companies. It is instructive to note that there are qualified professionals who are in the service who would have under normal circumstance been appointed in accordance with the Civil Service regulations.

Appointments of people outside the Civil Service as Accountant-General at the detriment of qualified Civil Servants.

Appointments of several persons too numerous to mention with no prior civil service background to top management position in the Administrative and Accounting cadres. Most of these appointments, Kwara Liberation Group (KLG) has gathered are routed in political and amorous backgrounds of the favourites of the power that be. Few of the examples here include:

Appointment of a Female former Junior Banker as Deputy Director of Administration and her eventual posting to the Government House as Director of Administration; and

Appointment of a Male Banker who is rumored to have been sacked from one of the banks, as Deputy Director (accounts). The person is said to be closely related to one Lai Alabi Mamud, former controversial Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank, proxy Chairman Shonga Farms Holdings and a friend of Bukola Saraki.

Contempt for Civil Servants:- It is a known fact that the duo of Bukola Saraki and Fatah Ahmed have contempt for the civil service and Civil Servants in the state, except their favourites, who have been strategically positioned, to play out their dirty scripts.

The under listed are few examples of the contemptuous treatments being meted on the Civil Servants in the state.

Branding Civil Servants as indolent, unimaginative, unproductive, etc by key appointees of Government who KLG has discovered to be failures in their previous endeavours such as Banks, Family Business etc; and,

In the government's bid to get office accommodation for the countless number of Special Advisers and Special Assistants being appointed on daily basis, Civil Servants are being ejected from their offices. It is worrisome that the State Government that cannot pay Civil Servants appropriately as is the practice elsewhere has money to pay over 100 Special Advisers and Assistants who earn about #350,000.00 monthly.

Double Standard in Policy Implementation: It is on record that the Kwara State Government under the watch of Bukola Saraki and Fatah Ahmed engaged in a double standard while implementing policies that have far reaching implication on the careers and welfare of Civil Servants in the State. Below are cases in point:

Eight years tenure: The State Government ostensibly acting in tandem with what obtained at the Federal level, massively disengaged all officers on grade level 14-16, while the Head of the Civil Service and the Permanent Secretaries who had equally spent 8 years and above on their positions at that time were left untouched. The Government is guilty of double standard in the implementation of this policy because the policy does not affect officers below the rank of Directors at the Federal level. The implementation of the policy was stopped after the first exercise to prevent the favourite of Government from being affected. The case of "Koro" and "Dabarako Mohammed" the present Head of the State Civil Service are typical examples.

Posting of officers: It has been established that the Kwara State Government is guilty of double standard in the implementation of its posting policy. For instance, in deviance to a circular from the office of the Head of Civil Service that pool officers should spend a maximum of four years and minimum of two years at a duty post, some favoured officers are retained at some so called "juicy" duty posts while the unfavoured ones are being constantly tossed from one "Dry" Ministry to the other, not minding competency and seniority.

Unjustifiable Disparity in Salaries of Civil Servants: Most likely because the present crop of permanent secretaries are known favourites of Government; their salaries were increased astronomically in 2012 while other civil servants are left to be groaning under an unfavourable remuneration. The plight of substantive Directors on salary GL17 is most frustrating in this regard. This is because while a Director earns less than #150,000.00 monthly in the state, a permanent secretary earns #580,000.00 monthly.

Irregularities in the appointment of Permanent Secretaries: The State Government policy of appointing Permanent Secretaries mainly on the "outcome" of examinations being conducted by a company owned by a female acquaintance of "their leader", is fraught with several irregularities as shown below:

The process of selecting people to participate in the examination is fraudulent because many eligible senior officers are always excluded under an unacceptable excuse that they have less than four years more to spend in the service.

To be continued.

Dr. Abdullahi Imam Abdullahi writes from Ilorin