Corruption Rock Lagos State Treasury Office - Akin' Okunowo, Thursday, September 27, 2012

Corruption have become a common phenomenon across all levels of governance in Nigeria. The mass population of the citizens continue to suffer a lot, especially in the hands of the politicians, as a result of the various corrupt activities perpetuated by government officials. Our focus today is on the hardship the civil servants who are into cooperative societies in Lagos State are undergoing over collecting their entitlement from government. This entitlement was deducted from their salary as monthly contribution for cooperative societies and were supposed to be remitted immediately into the accounts of the appropriate societies for easy accesses of the staffs. The Lagos State Treasury Office that is in charge deducting the money from salaries straight into the accounts of the cooperative societies involved have no reason not to remit their money once deducted. But it is now over a month after August deduction that the office has refused to remit the money. Many of the affected government workers now have their children sitting at home not going to school because of unpaid bills for school fees and books for  their wards.

Corruption in the management of pension and cooperative funds by government is becoming more worrisome in Nigeria. Labourers' entitlement are deliberately mismanaged by the concerned administrative bodies who usually divert the funds for their own selfish purposes at the expense of a very huge number of workers in the state. Among these civil servants in Lagos State are teachers. Seeing the hardship these teachers are seriously going through over this matter, it is important that the attitude of government victimizing and oppressing the teachers and other poor civil servants must be corrected. Many of the government workers into cooperative societies are now living miserable life conditions as a result of delay of their entitlement by the Lagos State Treasury Office.

On a good note, cooperative societies have been helpful for the lower cadre of government workers to manage the peanuts they earned as salaries. With their monthly contributions, many of them could set aside a portion of their salaries to meet some of their personal financial challenges. The Lagos State Trasury Office monthly deduct the contributions of these government workers who belong to cooperative societies on behalf of these cooperatives societies. Immediately the money is deducted, the Treasury Office remits it accordingly into the accounts of the cooperative societies, for example, the Teaching Service Cooperative Society in Ikeja, Head of Office Cooperative Society in Alausa, and District II Maryland Cooperative Society. 

But it is unfortunate that the process is now abused by the Treasury Office, and the workers have been experiencing unnecessary delay before their money is remitted. This corrupt practices became worse since April this year that the unnecessary delay of their money for a month or more before being released now become a common experience for the poor workers. A staff of the Lagos State Ministry Agriculture and Cooperatives Societies who do not want his name to be mentioned claimed that "...the delay has nothing to do with our own ministry. It's from the treasury office Alausa. From what we heard, the governor has borrowed the money to construct roads, that is why everybody is experiencing delay. But I cannot guarantee whether they will pay the one they are deducting this month too on time even when the August is released this month. There is nothing we can do to help until your money is released to us."

If this claim is genuine, definately, what the governor has done is wicked, selfish, reckless and not right. However, further investigation shows that this money is deliberately delayed in banks by top government officials in order to gain secret interest. These top government officials usually conspired among themselves to delay any money in government accounts in their huge figures, including the ones belonging to workers, for a period when bank interest could be drawn before they release the money for its original purpose. Whether it is the governor doing this or the officials at the Treasury Office, there is need for the necessary financial crime agencies in the country to step into this matter and check the high rate of corruption in the government. 

If actually the governor is not involved, he should have investigated this matter since April 2012, except he is not aware which could be very strange considering that members of his personal staff too must belong to these cooperative societies. However, at this critical point in time, there is need for Governor Raji Fashola to urgently look into this matter and purge his administration and government of corrupt practices. The high level of corruption in the government is pathetic, sad, wicked and insensitive to the welfare of people, including government workers. The treasury office have serious explaination to make as to how the money deducted from the salaries are no longer available in the bank for remittance to the appropriate cooperative societies. And if the money is still in bank, why have they refused to remit the money immediately to the appropriate cooperative societies, what are they still waiting for? Also, where is the interests that have accrued on the money delayed since April up-to-date?

Meanwhile, the civil servants involved in these cooperative societies are making regular monthly contributions from their salaries in order to pay their children's school fess, house rent bills, and handle immediate domestic needs. Therefore, the integrity of the Lagos State Government is seriously at stake. The government must ensure that the welfare of these workers is protected. It is a shame that government officials abuse their offices to such level of mismanaging the entitlements of government laborers, which include the teachers. Too sad for Nigeria.

There should be no delay in remitting their money immediately it is deducted from their salary. The attitude of corrupt government officials delaying their money in banks in order to benefit secret interest should be seriously investigated and stopped. For example, the July deduction of the Lagos State workers was made on 27th July and was no released until 29th August. That of August was deducted on 26th August and yet to be released. The one for September was deducted today, 27th September. Only God knows when it will be released when the one for August is yet to be released. The Lagos State Treasury Office should have explanation for this delay. 

This delay is totally unfair and reckless. It is sad that this has affected many of the civil servants to the extent that they cannot pay school and rent bills. This delay have abused and defeated the purpose of the cooperative societies. This corrupt practice is common in many states across the country, and it has been happening for too long and it is totally unfair. Therefore, it is high time that government at all levels find a lasting solution to this problem in order to ensure that corruption do not totally jeopardize the welfare of government workers in the nation. 

Nevertheless, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola should look into this matter and expedite action for immediate release of all money as soon as they are deducted to the appropriate accounts of the cooperative societies. All those involved in the delay and mismanagement of those delayed since April and up till now should be investigated and punished accordingly. If the governor is involved too, as a SAN, he should voluntarily submit himself to appropriate punishment. It is reckless and greedy for government to borrow without consent from the owners money not belonging to government. This is not just wrong, it is very careless, selfish, wicked and counter productive to the welfare of the workers.