Date: 2017-02-21

Hajia Sarat Adebayo is Chairman, Kwara State Local Government Service Commission. In this interview with AHMED 'LATEEF, she spoke on local government administration, policy thrust and ongoing reform within the workforce of the third tier of government in the state. Can you tell us your experience since assumption of office?

When we came on board, part of our policy thrust and term of reference to work with in line with the vision of the state government is to see to the welfare of our local government staffers and the pensioners. Because as the chairman of Local Government Service, I also double as the chairman, Local Government Pension Board.

We have held a parley with the DPMs and treasurers, said to be the heads of the local government administration in the state. We have given them a mandate that the business of local government is not business as usual. They should be on top of the jobs. Laziness will not be condoned in our own time. We have embarked on restructuring and reforming of the local government.

Truly, local government is the third tier of government. But in the past, people saw it as a dumping ground. They believed the staffers there cannot add any value. Locking of the local government gate will not be condoned. And for anybody that cannot key into our policy thrust, we are ready to flush such person out. On this note, we are moving forward to see that sanity is in the system. We have charged the officers of the local government that if they cannot key into our policy thrust of removing nepotism, bureaucracy and corruption in all desk offices, they should be ready to go. To see that we really mean the business, the desk officers across the 16 Local Government Areas have been relieved of their duty posts and transfered.

We have transfered all the pension staff that have been given us problem in the past and we have injected new blood. What I mean by injection of new blood is that we want to enhance professionalism in our system and be productive in our jobs. On this note, the 2017 promotion exercise has commenced. Welfarism of the local government staff is very paramount and topmost on our agenda, and to whom much is given, much is expected. We want to implore them to be on top of their jobs, to do the needful in the area of their assignments, and to key into the policy thrust of His Excellency of restructuring and harmonization of the local government system.

The era of local government staff turned to traders in the offices has gone and we cannot take it again. If you want to be a local government staff, oblige to do the needful. If you want to be a trader, resign and go to the market. All these policies are sustaining. And for anybody that cannot key into these policies, we are ready to flush such a person out of the system.

The local government system is to cater for the yearnings of the people at the grassroot, it is a tier of government that people have access to. To whom much is given, much is expected. We want to give back to the society that produced us as a government. Staffers of the local government determine what motivate the political office holders. It is the way the staffers of local government carry themselves that the political office holders will key into their template. And on this note, we have given them a template to work with, so that we can enhance productivity, efficiency, effectiveness and above all, sanity in the system of the local government.

What are you doing about local government staff welfare and promotion?

Let me start from this note. The total number of local government staff presented for 2016 promotion exercise were 2998 across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state. Total number of promotion approved by the commission were 2809. Total number of staff not qualified were 81. Number of pending cases still remain 108. These are people who did not meet the prerequisites. They have numerous cases to answer. For those promoted, letters to that effect had been dispatched to them since last week. And 2017 promotion exercise has also commenced.

What will be the fate of 108 staff with pending promotion? We have a senior staff management committee that was set up to take care of complaints and plights of staff. And until the committee completes the process, we don't know their fate.

Before now, local government staff have been complaining about receipt of some percentage as their monthly salary. Are you aware of that?

It is not our fault that the salary is not paid 100 percent, and for now, it cannot be 100 percent. In the total allocation that comes through the JAAC, which has NULGE, TUC, NLC and JAC as members, they are all part of the process that determines total percentage to be given to each beneficiary local government. We know it is not palatable, and it is not our wish to unleash this pain on them. It is about the allocation that comes in, that determines how much is going to be paid to them. When allocation comes in, it is shared among them. The SUBEB will take their own, ditto local governments. It is amount that is left that the pensioners and active staff will now share.

The last time, the money given to local government pensioners for the month of January was N91million. This N91million will only pay 35 or 40 percent of their take home. For the month of December (2016), they were given N264million because the London-Paris Club refund was included at that time. They got 100 percent in December because of the money released. His Excellency is not in custody of their money. Their money came and it was shared as it were. They can only appeal for more augmentation from the state government.

Now that the local government staff have been promoted. Is there financial backing accompanying the promotion?

The promotion arrears will be paid to them when the allocation improves. The financial backing is not yet attached, but when we have a robust allocation, the arrears will be cleared to them.

We learnt that some staff were yet to submit their certificates during the verification for the 2016 promotion exercise. What are you going to do now?

That is one of the factors that affected pending 108 staff promotion. I have said that we have set a standard. If you cannot meet up with us, we will flush you out. If you cannot key into the policy thrust of this sanity, it is about scheme of service that we have set out. That is the factor that was responsible for these 108 staff that could not get their promotion. We don't need statement of result. As a commission, we have written to all the Universities and Polytechnics across Nigeria, to verify the certainty and authenticity of the results presented by the staff.

But there are schools that are not issuing certificate immediately. Are you taking that into consideration?

Until the school issue it, we don't take statement of result for your promotion exercise. We take the original certificate. We don't take "To Whom It May Concern". We cannot take it. We work with paper and not verbal. Until the school is ready to issue that certificate. Who knows? The statement of the result could be a garbage in, garbage out between the school and the students. We are not going to take that, the sanity must be upheld.

Is there exception for those compelled to tender original certificate for the promotion exercise?

We have told them in Administration, Medical, Health, Works, Agriculture and Education Departments to bring their original certificate for the exercise. By implication, they are all affected. It is not peculiar to one department.

Since you came on board January this year, how have you been able to tackle some of the challenges you met on the ground?

The challenges have been nepotism within the system. People just want to shunt their ways, and I have told them, it is not business as usual. It is about upholding the integrity of the system. The problem you have most of the time is that people don't want to key in. And when we are talking about change, it is inevitable. We need to change the tune. An adage says "When the drummer changes the tune of the drum, the dancer too changes dancing mode". So, they need to change and key into our policy thrust. We are here to sanitize, restructure and reform the local government administration, and that is part of our agenda for the commission.

It has not been easy if you look at the challenge. We have relieved some people (of their duty posts). Some people will say, this is my local government, what is there except the redundant staff. We don't have redundant staff. We have given them the schedule to work with. We should encourage initiative and be creative. And on this note, it is not easy to implement things. The policy implementation is not very easy, especially when you are changing the tune. They have adopted a system, changing them from that system they are accustomed to, it is not easy. That is the little challenge we are facing now. For those that cannot key in, we have to show them the way out. They should know that we have a seasoned time, and the "Iron lady" has come, they need to change and they have to change.

In addition to that, for any organization on the journey of life, finance is very important. We have a financial challenge and nothing more. This commission is not generating revenue. We don't have a capital project. We have 14,000 staff of the local government that we are currently taking care of across the 16 Local Government Areas. And we cannot take care of these people without running of the office because we draw our money from the JAAC and now the local government is leaned from the federation purse. We will wait until the allocation improves because the challenges of finance have been there. But we hope, very soon, the allocation will improve for us to carry out things.

With this startling revelation, is there anyway the LGSC can assist the local governments to shore up their revenue profile?

The local governments and Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) have formed a synergy. The KWIRS cannot work effectively without the synergy of the local governments. The local governments have Revenue Officers (ROs), who have been on board. When the local governments started with ROs before the coming of KWIRS, they discovered that their revenue target was not realizable, until they inculcate the KWIRS. And since they have a synergy, the revenue of local governments has improved.

Now, they have a positive, productive and robust IGR when they brought KWIRS into their system. We are working hand in hand to see that KWIRS improves on its revenue collection at the local government level daily. With this synergy, each local government has been given revenue target yearly. For instance, Asa Local Government is given N15million yearly as a revenue target. We believe they will realize it and even more than what they projected.

There are areas that they did not annex. They have potentials that they have not annexed. It is now to charge our officers on board to annex these potentials so that they can generate the revenue to have laudable things to do with the money in the state.

You were once All Progressives Congress (APC) Woman Leader in the state and now chairman, LGSC. How do you see the transition?

Transition from party to government is still one environment, because the party produces the government and we are still an integral part of the government. I have been in government before I became state Woman Leader (of the APC). And I must also add that people do not know that I am once staff of local government for good 23 years, and I retired as Chief Accountant on Level 14. So, I know the modus operandi of how local government works. I was once an Administrative staff before I turned my cadre to Treasury Department. I worked in Works Department and briefly in Education Department. So, I know modus operandi of the local government. For me, it is not a new environment par se.

What is your vision and what do you see at the end of your tenure?

Let me say that it is all about political will. Our leader has that will. It is because of his will and the belief he has in me by putting me here. And His Excellency too has that will implementing his policy thrust. It is their will that has given me a joy, that this woman can do it and insha Allah, I will not disappoint them.

That is why we put up this lofty idea and agenda. And insha Allah, it is going to be achievable. We believed it is achievable and realizable when there is political will. And we have that will. My humble self and my co-members, the technocrats in the system, right from the Permanent Secretary, ditto the Directors. We have that will to implement the lofty agenda that shares the policy thrust and prosperity agenda of the state.

You are referred to as "Iron Lady". Can you shed more light on that? Objectivity must surpass subjectivity when you have a mission. When you have a passion and will to deliver, the system might not want you, they may say this woman will not take nonsense. But it is about integrity and value for everything. When you are buying a product, it is about value for money, you must see that value that in what you are buying. It is about service delivery. What is worth doing, is worth doing well.

Because of the policy thrust of Senate President and the policy thrust of His Excellency on the Shared Prosperity as it were, that integrity and sustainability of that policy, must see us as integral part that will make it achievable.

On this note, we have a lot of challenges that people will not want to share your vision. If you don't compromise, they will refer to you as "too hard". They will say she doesn't take nonsense and I love that. I will not compromise, and I will not smear my integrity. Sustaining our shared prosperity means that you should be a value added woman. And I have always said that women of Kwara have gone beyond clapping. It is about value added now. What can you do that will a value added to the system that produced you. I have been objective, am not subjective. Nepotism cannot have its way on my table. And I know my onions. Knowing my onions has tagged me to be an "Iron Lady" and I love that.