Biting Economy: Any Ray Of Hope For Imo State In 2016? (EDITORIAL)

ROCHAS

Recently, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) said  because of falling oil prices in the international market, State Governments may not be able to continue paying workers the monthly N18, 000 minimum wage.

This revelation as expected attracted fierce reactions from well meaning Nigerians. Even some State Governors, notably Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State said he will not be part of the arrangement to deviate from paying workers their monthly entitlements.

Despite the discordant tunes from the State Governors, most workers in the country did not receive their salaries for as long as 10 to 11 months.

 In Imo State, some workers were not paid for close to 11 months. Despite the bail- out funds given to the States including Imo by President Muhammadu Buhari to pay workers their outstanding salaries, many of them continued to groan over unpaid wages in many States.

Imo State was not an exception.  Reprieve only came for the workers in December 2015 when almost all salary arrears of the workers were paid by the State Government. The only snag that trailed the payments was issuance of “Pay off Forms” to the workers which they were told to sign before collecting their salaries.

 While the State Government promptly denied the allegations, the workers insisted that the forms contained clauses which indicated that they (workers) have to consent to plans of the State Government to sack them in the event the national economy further dwindles in 2016.

 More disturbing are local newspaper reports credited to the State Governor where he reportedly said the people of Imo State should prepare for hardship in 2016. 

This Online Newspaper waved off such report which we considered was a mere exhibition of yellow journalism. But somehow, the story gained some substance when a senior government official said at an event in Owerri that  based on the continuous fall in prices of Oil and  the attendant low allocation to Imo State from the Federation account, the State may not be able to pay workers salaries in 2016.

Certainly, such statements coming from official sources are not only worrisome and disturbing as it creates the impression the depth of hopelessness that will befall the State in the coming year.  

 Based on the foregoing, it  is  unacceptable that a government which ought to console and offer a  hope to the people no matter the dark patches hanging over the Imo economy could resort to open confession of a hopeless situation that await its citizens in 2016.

More worrisome is that barely few days to the New Year, there is no economic road-map from the State government that tends to show safety intervention policies that will at least partially shield the State from the harsh outlook of the national economy.

If indeed the situation portrayed  about Imo State  appears hopeless in 2016 as claimed by the State government, what are the palliatives put in place by the Government to cushion the impending hardship that will befall the people and possibly diversify the local economy to be less dependent on funds from the federation account?

What steps are being taken to avoid another economic misery that ravaged the Imo populace in 2015?  Or is the State Government saying it will sit down and watch Imo people get stuck in the economic haze that will blow in the State in 2016?

It is also not enough for so much emphasis to be placed on increasing Internal Generated Revenue as one of the surest routes to beef up the financial base of the State. Aside the IGR, what other measures are in place to save the people from the impending economic tsunami said to be coming in 2016?

It is strange that at a time President Muhammadu Buhari has unveiled a budget of change that is expected to bring hope to the doorsteps of the Nigerian people  next year, the Imo citizenry continue to hear tales of woes and damnation that will befall them from an administration that is on a rescue mission.  

All over the world, public office seekers are reminded of their campaign promises when they eventually capture power.  In Imo State, the APC led State government promised jobs, factories and industries that will create employment for millions of youths in the State within the shortest possible time.

Much as this Online Newspaper believes that the State government is committed to realizing this task, there is absolutely nothing on ground to show that such industries are not on the way.   

In September 2015,  the State Governor led a 100 man delegation to Turkey claiming that it embarked on the trip  to woo  investors and industrialists to invest in Imo State.  Three months after that visit, we are yet to see any Turkish or foreign  investor, thus raising questions why tax payers money have to be fretted away under the guise of seeking for investors.

 We Know that investors are not lobbied to invest in any given area. They come when conditions for investment are conducive and appropriate. Therefore, if no investor, foreign or local, has not deemed it fit to at least embark on exploratory visit to the State as prelude to  invest, then certainly the State is not investor friendly for now. And it behooves on the authorities to quickly do something urgent to reverse the trend.

It is also appalling that a government that foresee a bleak future for its citizens in 2016 could be said to have resorted to spending huge amount of money in decorating the city for the Christmas and New year celebrations. The opposition in the State  alleged that a mind- troubling N600 million naira was spent on such decorations. For a State that claims to be on the verge of economic collapse, it smacks of insensitivity if such a huge amount of money was actually spent on such frivolity.

Imolites also saw lately expensive and needless carnivals on the streets and major cities of Owerri that only dug a hole on the lean finances of the State. This is more annoying when the carnival did add any economic value or attracted a single foreign tourist to Imo State.

Before Imo State came to this sorry pass,  contractors had been groaning over non- payment  for jobs done. Workers and pensioners complained of non- payment while entrepreneurs openly  grieved over a deliberate act of the State government to encourage capital flight.It is unacceptable that a State that complain of lack of funds and a bleak future could resort to importing school desks and other educational items from an Asian country. 

This is more appalling when there are capable local entrepreneurs who could produce such goods at home at cheaper prices and rates. Such patronage to the local producers would have checkmated the lingering cash squeeze in the State, boost the comatose Small And Medium Enterprises (SMEs), create jobs and add life to a slow but steady collapsing economy.

While this Online Newspaper  acknowledge some of the laudable programmes of the present government such as the introduction of free education and infrastructural renewal in some parts of the State, such laudable programmes can  be meaningless to the people when there is biting hunger in the land and a seeming  inability on the part of the authorities to improve their living conditions.

Therefore, we advise the State government to place less emphasis on construction of big halls, roundabouts and centers and rather channel such funds to human capacity development progarmmes/ initiatives which the teeming Imo populace are desperately yearning for.

In a public service driven economy in Imo State, it is the government that will open the doors for private sector to come in to harness the massive human productive potentials in the State.  

Imo State boasts of high worth individuals who have excelled in their various fields of human endeavour and who are willing to come home and invest in our economy. Only an open and positive disposition and a hand of friendship by the government to them will compel them to return home to aid their people.

As  2015 draws to a close and 2016 beckons, the All Progressive Congress(APC) led State government has a herculean task to save its people from whatever harsh economic conditions that will trickle down on them from anywhere. And this online Newspaper remain optimistic that Governor Rochas Okorocha has the capacity to bring smiles on the faces of despondent Imolites only if he applies the right economic "shock absorbers" to cushion the effect of  the foggy economic climate in the country.

At the same time, we remind him that a Government elected by the people to serve owe it as a responsibility before God  to seek and ensure their happiness at all times. This is one of the finest ingredient of modern democracy