Nigerians respond to the government’s proposal for Buhari to fire workers over 50: “Governors above 50 years should resign first.”

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

Governors of the 36 states that make up the federation, who are concerned about the nation’s current economic crisis, recently proposed to the federal government a number of measures, including the mandatory retirement of all civil servants over the age of 50 and the imposition of a tax on those making N30,000 or more per month.

The ideas, which come at a time when millions of Nigerians are either unemployed or underemployed, have been flatly rejected, and many people have urged the governors to bury their heads in shame.

Some people criticized the plans as evil and insensitive, said they violated the civil service law, and advised governors over 50 to step down from their positions before giving such recommendations to the federal government.

Mike Ozekhome, a constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, called the suggestion inhumane and questioned what the country would gain if it followed the governors’ recommendation and filled an already overcrowded labor market.

The proposed action, he declared, “is foolish, ill-advised, and brutal. It has the odor of typical government insensitivity to the predicament of the average person. How do you retire civil officials who are 50 years old and in their prime? The real age of maturity, experience, and production is currently. It is really absurd! It represents the pinnacle of carelessness and insensitivity. It is the most egregious example of cruelty ever displayed.

The N30,000 is insufficient for these same supporters of the absurd and phony proposition to purchase KFC or Mr. Bigs snacks all at once. Do they inhabit a different planet? The entire proposal is abhorrent and disgraceful.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, or HURIWA, a civil rights organization, denounced the idea as being against the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

HURIWA claimed that because the action discriminates against older people and contradicts current civil service regulations that set the retirement age at 60, it violates section 42 subsection 1 of the 1999 Constitution.

According to the group, Nigeria’s widespread political corruption by public officials, such as governors and the presidency, “who carve out huge chunks of financial resources that are not captured in the budget and pilfer the funds under the guise of security votes,” could cause the country’s economy to collapse immediately.

According to the rights organization’s national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the excessive costs of operating the executive branches of the two tiers of government—federal and state—in particular are the draining pipes that could cause the complete collapse of the country’s economy.

It further recommended amending constitutional provisions on the appointment of ministers and commissioners to cap the number of each category at six for ministers representing the six geopolitical zones for federal government and three commissioners per state representing the three senatorial zones of each state in order to reduce the costs of governance at both the state and federal levels.

HURIWA requested that the law be changed to prohibit citizens over 50 from running for governorships or the presidency of Nigeria because they “may be vulnerable to inexplicable health issues associated with old age.”

The group went on to say that there is no reason for discriminating against public workers if the federal government “disagrees with these far-reaching modifications of the aforementioned legislation to peg the ages of executive officers of the federal and state governments.”

Dr. Cosmos Ndukwe, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the recently ended primaries, responded by calling on governors older than 50 to step down before calling on the federal government to fire public servants older than 50.

The former deputy speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly said that before advocating the firing of core civil servants, public officials who are paid with taxpayer money should resign in order to save money.

He added that compared to what public employees spend, the amount of money spent on government servants is insignificant.

He asked, “How much do civil servants make in comparison to what public employees receive? Take a look at the governors’ votes on security? Some of them make up to N1.5 billion, N1 billion, and N800 million each month. What do they intend to do with it?

“They should start with themselves, not with underpaid civil officials, if they truly want to reduce the cost of governance. If it is true that government servants over 50 should retire, then all elected and appointed officials up to and including governors should also resign and leave their positions.

The governors’ recommendation to tax civil servants earning up to N30,000 was also criticized by the former chief of staff to the governor. He claimed that doing so would amount to double taxation because tax is already taken out of everyone’s paychecks, including those in the public sector. If the Governors are sincere in their desire to prevent the collapse of the economy, he encouraged them to first reduce the cost of governance by forgoing some of their needless expenditures.

Elder Ralph Egbu, a former Abia State Secretary to State Government, responded by saying that the government’s misplacement of priorities rather than staff emoluments was the real issue.

According to him, “Government frequently wastes money on pointless initiatives that benefit no one but those in power at exorbitant expenses. Most undertakings are 700 times more expensive than they actually are. The issue is with that, not with the compensation given to civil officials.

Comrade Goodluck Ibem, national president of COSEYL (Coalition of South East Youth Leaders), called the counsel “satanic and the height of insensitivity.” He claimed that since the law currently sets the retirement age for civil officials at 60 years old or 35 years of service, lowering the limit to 50 will require an amendment. The COSEYL leader added that the inability of the nation’s economic policymakers, rather than the payment of civil officials’ salaries, was the real issue.

“The President and his economic team’s incompetence, not that of the civil service, is to blame for the poor state of the economy. When he became office in 2015, the economy was doing well. A bag of rice used to cost N8000, but today it costs N37,000 instead. That demonstrates the President’s inability to oversee the economy. The poor state of the economy has always been acknowledged by those offering these proposals. What happens to their own generous salaries and benefits, which can support a whole Local Government Area for months, after that? Such a proposition is the worst kind of evil.

Dr. Bitrus Pogu, National President of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), pleaded with the Federal Government to drop the idea and consult with the nation’s top economists on the best course of action.

Nigeria is in an extremely challenging condition, according to Dr. Pogu. The Governors, however, are not economists in my opinion. To be able to give solutions to our difficulties, we must contact our economists. Many of the governors are not living ethically either. Some of them prefer to pay for frivolous expenses and allowances above public obligations. People who are unable to produce enough internal revenue consequently suffer. Some of them even struggle to make the necessary salary payments, never mind pensions and other obligations to employees.

“They should be aware that aging populations result in rising pension costs. Moreover, we must not disregard the rights of individuals. Employees cannot be fired at will unless the articles of the constitution and labor regulations are changed. Therefore, I believe they should have sought expert advice before making such a declaration.

“It’s true that we need additional revenue sources; the VAT is one of them, along with a few others. However, economists should be gathered because we are in a mess and the federal government is unable to take the necessary action to save us. I am confident that when we gather economists, a feasible and acceptable solution will emerge, which might help us address the economic situation. The Governors’ advice is undoubtedly bad because of the fallout that will result from starting to retire employees.
For his part, Dr. Tarnongu Kwaghfan, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Benue State University, BSU, Makurdi branch, urged all levels of government to reduce the cost of governance and waste in government as well as reduce their security votes and allowances rather than following the poorly thought out advice.

According to Dr. Kwaghfan, the majority of governors who have served out their terms continue to get sizable salaries from their state’s treasury. What basis would they have, then, for making such a suggestion? Nigeria’s crisis is partially the fault of the governors, who spend the nation’s money in any case. How then do you justify charging someone making N30,000? Are they failing to pay the same personal income tax that employees do? Will they murder underprivileged Nigerians?

“Why would they alter the retirement age regulations at this time? After 35 years of employment or when they become 60 years old, people are supposed to retire. Clearly, that is a poor proposal. They ought to begin by requesting that the federal government lower their security votes, and then lower their own as well. Additionally, they want to reduce the expense of maintaining government. They ought to thin out the car convoy that follows them. They ought to reduce their spending. Instead of beginning with others, they ought to begin with themselves.

“I have never in my life seen a not too properly thought out form of counsel from political leaders like this,” claims Abagun Kole Omololu, National Organising Secretary, Afenifere. Some civil officials entered the workforce much past the age of 30, having lost a significant amount of time in college due to periodic strike actions. They need six to seven years to finish a three-year course. So you discharge them from the service after fewer than 20 years for no fault of their own and place them on the job market. I disagree because it is wicked.

“Let the ministries stop leaks and wasteful spending. The poorest people in Nigeria today cannot subsist on a monthly income of N50000, and you want to tax them. This suggestion demonstrates how out of touch with reality the governors are. They are located too far from the ruled. This suggestion, in my opinion, is cruel and nasty. Allow the states to raise their IGR who think Abuja is their pot of soup. So that our young people with the physical ability can go back to the land, let the federal government deal with the Fulani terrorists firmly.

Stephen Adewale, the chairman of the Social Democratic Party in Ondo State, stated: “The best way to stop Nigeria’s impending economic collapse is by blocking leakages in government revenues and opening up more production sectors through foreign direct investment in agriculture, mining, and revitalizing our refineries. We also need to channel more funds toward research and education.

The main issue Nigeria is now dealing with is the issue of insecurity, which has prevented investors from entering and increasing investment in the production sectors for the purpose of creating jobs. The leaks in our revenue collection agencies are the worst of it all. The issue will grow if civil servants over the age of 50 are relieved of their duties through retirement since the Governors who are putting forth this rudimentary and antiquated proposal to the government do not have a comprehensive strategy for the old and elderly in their respective states. If you force people into retirement, who will look after them?

Furthermore, taxing the administrative staff employed by the government is not the answer. Where are the taxes we collect from the oil industry, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), natural gas, electricity, Federal Inland Revenue, and other industries? There are a few criminals in the government who are stealing them. Money is not Nigeria’s issue; corruption and poor management of the country’s business are. Nigeria has sufficient resources to advance and feed all of Africa. Instead of criminals, we need patriots to lead us. Currently, there are many unpatriotic and criminally inclined individuals serving in government who are only concerned with their own welfare and not the interests of the country.

Mr. Bayo Shittu, a former minister of communication and top APC official in Oyo State, claimed that firing such a large number of federal civil servants would be equivalent to displacing about 200 000 families and forcing them back onto the job market.

“On the matter of firing those over 50, it must be denounced,” he stated. It makes no logic and would only make Nigerians poorer. I am aware that there are roughly two million government officials employed at the federal level, and it is expected that just 10% of them are above the age of 50. That indicates that roughly 200 000 workers will be let go. If you fire them, you’re not just firing people; you’re firing families as well. Therefore, laying off 200 000 Nigerian families will make them even poorer as their existing earnings can’t buy them homes. Again, for the same reasons, if you are going to tax, you should only tax people with high incomes and not people with lesser incomes. Some of them make N30,000 every month. That amount won’t cover their daily transportation costs alone, let alone other expenses. Therefore, raising taxes will only make those groups of people poorer. Therefore, only people with high incomes can pay taxes.

“Secondly, and most crucially, the majority of Nigerians do not pay taxes, especially the wealthy individuals working in the private sector. Therefore, if you are taxing, focus on professionals, business owners, and entrepreneurs. Look at all the wealthy enterprises on the main thoroughfares of our cities; some of them do not pay taxes. Some people merely pay standard tax. The government should work with banks to identify who owns what so that it can collect taxes from people, especially in the private sector.

Retiring civil personnel older than 50 years of age, according to Comrade Kolapo Olatunde, Chairman of the NLC in Ekiti State, is against the law now governing the civil service, since “you can’t take law from behind.” A goal post cannot be changed in the middle of a game.
In his own submission, Ambassador Yemi Farounmbi argued that, despite the fact that the federal government employs about 89000 civil servants who collectively earn about N4.5 trillion, or about 30% of the budget, and that the remaining 70% of the budget is used to support others, the Nigerian Governors Forum’s proposal to relieve people over 50 of their civil service obligations will be creating a new problem while attempting to solve an existing one.

But how can you pay them off if you release them from their obligation? As a result, more poor people will be produced. In a similar vein, the forum suggested that individuals making over 50,000 should pay higher taxes and those making under 30,000 should pay N100 in additional taxes. To me, that amounts to building a network of extremely poor people, which will increase the number of people living below the poverty line and cause more issues for the nation.

“However, I think the forum should be considering ways to diversify its exports in order to increase its revenue base and reduce its reliance on crude oil money. How can we resurrect agriculture so that we may once more export goods like cocoa, oil, cassava, etc. on a net basis? We should consider industrializing the production of cassava, of which we are the leading producers and are currently only manufacturing garri. More refineries should be built by the government so we can stop importing gasoline, kerosene, and diesel. That should be our first priority, but eliminating jobs and raising taxes will only make our population’s poverty rate worse.

“Truly, urgent steps are required to ensure that Nigeria does not collapse,” claimed Hon. Ayo Fadaka, a public analyst. It is also encouraging to see that the Governors Forum is concerned and considering solutions to the seeming crisis, but their solution seems to single out the populace and punish them harshly for a problem that they did not cause.

“The notion that civil and public workers over 50 should be let go from their jobs begs the question: Can Government at every level afford the repercussions of such action? What sources of funding will be used to pay bonuses and pensions? The already-struggling economy will be put under even more strain, but are they really saying that they will just be casually laid off?

In reality, the government needs to wake up and get to work repairing every leak in our economy. The recent purchase of expensive cars for the Niger Republic is an impolite expenditure made by a government that is unable to properly comprehend the grave economic circumstances it faces. Sadly, Nigeria is reportedly currently unable to satisfy its OPEC quota due to oil theft that it is unable to stop.

In order to effectively manage the country, the government must approach our difficulties with objectivity and take its obligations extremely seriously. Nigeria is bankrupt and unable to continue serving as Santa Claus to underdeveloped countries.

Although the governors may have had the best of intentions, the proposals they had written for them by whoever consultant did not do the governors’ collective reputation any favors, according to Mr. Iniruo Wills, President of the Ijaw Professionals Association (Homeland Chapter comprising Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta). To suggest a tax on employees making N30,000, or less than $50 per month, is beyond evil. We can all agree that the Nigerian public sector, particularly the civil service, is not functioning properly at the moment. However, there are a myriad of creative ways to upskill, motivate, optimize, and rationalize the public service rather than the impulse of retiring people aged fifty years and older. When a political system is in danger of tipping over, as Nigeria currently is, leaders need to generate vigorous public feedback that can identify the best solutions.