Thinking is an overwhelming task for a lot of people. However, it
may not be nice to take pleasure in referring to them as retards. For over a
decade the challenge of local government staff wages has been hunting
successive administrations in the country but no one seem to know the root
cause of the problem. Most arguments on this matter are tainted by politics and
malice towards incumbent governors.
It is not that governors per se divert local government funds
but that the funds are in most cases inadequate, especially now that federal
allocation has dwindled due to the collapse of crude oil in the international
market. Why are the councils unable to function? It is largely due to the
burden of primary school teachers’ wages.
In (1988) the national primary education commission (NPEC) was
established with Decree 31 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to manage the
affairs of primary education. It was later scrapped by the Federal Government
under the provision of Decree 2 and 3 of (1991) which rested the full
responsibility of the administration of primary education in the hand of local
government with the federal allocation of local government increased to 5 per
cent. This is crux of the challenge being faced by most local governments.
For most council their personnel costs especially the payment of
teachers’ salaries is higher than their total revenue receipts hence their
deficit financial positions. Today, councils’ allocation per se is zero. This
is because, if a council receives say N130 million monthly and spends N120 million
paying primary school teachers, then the balance of N10 million may not be
enough for the payment of council workers and political class, including embarking
on capital projects.
Therefore, the only way local governments can perform, and
improve local council administration in the country is for the burden of
primary school teachers to be taken off the shoulders of the councils. The
Federal and State Governments should liaise to remove the burden from the
councils to enable the third tier of government address developmental needs at
the grassroots level.
Primary school teachers’ salary should be paid by either the
State or the Federal Governments, or through a unified salary scheme. It is not
understandable why the councils should pay salaries of teachers that are not under
their control? After the appointment of a secretary to the Local Government
Education Authority, he/she is no longer under the control of the councils.
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