Plight of daily paid workers

Permit me a space in your widely read newspaper to contribute to the debate on the fate of daily paid workers in the public service sector.

The debate reminds me of my uncle who was retired two years ago not on account of age but on length of service. This uncle of mine was employed as an accounts clerk on a daily paid rate.

He was employed as a full-fledged staff three years later.While he was serving as a daily paid worker, he was denied all the privileges of a permanent staff such as regular salary, promotion, annual leave bonus, bicycle allowance, medical allowance, study leave, etc.He served as a daily paid worker for three years.

This same uncle was retired prematurely in year 2006. The three years he spent as daily paid worker was merged with his years as a full fledged permanent employee. Of the 35 years he served, only 32 years were spent as a permanent staff.

The question is, is it proper to merge the service rendered as a daily paid employee which is non-pensionable with that of a pensionable period?Is this not ridiculous and inhuman?
Let’s put a stop to this slave mentality.

- Kolawole Adebayo,
Faculty of Arts,
University of Ibadan.

Lar and the polity

In every generation, there are a few people in whom had met the spirit and power of patriotism coupled with, wisdom and political leadership. Their works forever change their societies. Thus, they become heroes in the struggle.

Solomon D. Lar is one of such people in Nigeria. He, therefore, deserves to be mirrored to this new government and beyond.

Past governments may have not appreciated him. But it is time the government of President Yar’Adua offered reward to the like of Solomon Lar .

As a lawyer, he along with other legal luminaries founded the Nigeria Legal Aid Council to help the poor who could not afford the services of lawyers. Chief Lar served as Secretary General of the council.

Soon after he began his political career in 1959, he demonstrated impeccable leadership by asking for a middle belt region, a decision that made him popular and unpopular both to the Press and the northern oligarchy . This illustrious son of Nigeria is the hero of the struggle for freedom of the oppressed; that is why he is fondly called the Emancipator.

He once advised the bloodthirsty Abacha regime to enthrone democracy by handing over power to a democratically elected government. As a man of vision and mission, he was chairman of G18, composed of prominent northern politicians, like Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Mohammed Abubakar Rimi, Professor Ango Abdullahi , Professor Jerry Gana among others. Later, this group was enlarged to G34 to accommodate other Nigerians desirous of true democracy. The group metamorphosed to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the largest political party in Africa. Lar became the first national chairman and kept the party away from crisis throughout his tenure. His exit, as the national chairman was the beginning of crisis in the ruling party till today.

For many years, he was a thorn in the flesh of the oligarchy. He passed through the acid test of oppression and emerged triumphant. He is a suave and fashionable politician, his political network is unbeatable, and he has been able to influence the lives of many in all the states of the federation, President Obasanjo and my humble self inclusive.

His outstanding achievements at national and international levels is a source of inspiration and pride to us all. Therefore, he richly deserves to be remunerated for life. He is an embodiment of fair play, transparency, discipline, hard work and methodology.

Ironically, these personal qualities limit his association in the society he finds himself, as he is not prepared to compromise these qualities.

It was these attributes that made almost all the newly registered political parties in the Fourth Republic invite and persuade him to become the pioneering chairman of their respective parties.

For the survival of this young government, President Yar’Adua must give whatever it will take and reconcile all the founders of the party. It is only instructive that any attempt to castigate this pioneering hero would turn out to be a political sacrilege.

- Kola Jegede,
National Publicity Secretary,
Nigeria Society for Concerned Citizens,
for Truth, Peace and Justice and Equity.