On Sunday, September 27, 2020, the media space was abuzz with a report from an unusual quarter. The Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Most Reverend Dr AJV Obinna, had, while giving his homily during the Thanksgiving Service by Governor Hope Uzodinma at the Maria Assumpta Catholic Cathedral, Owerri, to mark the 60th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria, commended the governor on the many good things he is doing in the state, particularly on the resolution of the vexed issues of payment of salaries and pensions.

Since Uzodinma became the governor, the payment of salaries and pensions has been the most dominant twin issues in the state. It should be noted that Archbishop Obinna is not a bootlicker. He is not one that bows to any kind of pressure. He speaks truth to power. He does not genuflect before the authority, and does not curry favour. For decades, he has proved to be the voice of the masses, speaking up when it matters most. He does not pander to political correctness, as he is not a politician. These wonderful attributes, aside his being the numero uno clergy in the state, puts him in good stead before the people.

When the Archbishop spoke on the vexed issues of payment of pensions and salaries, he was not self-seeking but speaking the truth from his heart.

He said: “We are praying for this governor here, so that he may rise to the challenge. He has been showing signs that he would surprise me and surprise all of us as he continues to serve. Only a few days ago, somebody gladly told me that a neighbour, a friend received the alert for pension for six months. I am also hearing – I think I have it on some kind of reliable authority – that, very soon, this issue of salaries and pensions would be over and things would be working out fully.

“So, we are praying for this governor and those who work with him. Because, I also hear that it is not the governor that is the problem. He may have the problem of finance – I don’t know sufficiently – but I hear that many of the civil servants are part of the problem. Those who work in the civil service, they do all kinds of orography to prevent the flow of action. So, I challenge those civil servants – some of you may know them – the Accountants who have a mysterious way of doing Accountancy in the civil service, whereby some people may be earning three salaries from three different units under various subterfuges. So, we need to help ourselves.”

The payment of salaries and pensions had been a major source of headache in the state. Successive governments had complained of the humongous wage bill in the state and promised to do something about it. Oftentimes, the issues were politicised, leaving everyone in a sort of quagmire. Former Governor Rochas Okorocha had claimed he paid a backlog of pensions when he assumed office as governor, but this claim does not agree with the facts. He was also reported to have complained that Imo State had the highest wage bill in the entire South-east. To resolve the issues, he chose to pay 70 per cent of the salaries of the workers. On the pension brouhaha, he was also reported to have said that ghost workers existed and that the pension bill was padded.

He embarked on several verification exercises for the pensioners and in the end he came up with a nifty solution, which was to pay 40 per cent of four years arrears of pensions while the pensioners forfeited the remaining 60 per cent. When he left, Hon Emeka Ihedioha, inherited the problems in the sector. He initiated verification exercises as part of his reforms in the sector, but could not see the reforms through, probably because of his ouster by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, January 14, 2020.

Since coming into office, Governor Uzodinma has done a lot to resolve the worrisome issues. It appeared that no matter what the government did, the opposition pushed against it. We had raised the alarm that the opposition was being unpatriotic and bitter. We had accused them of conniving with the cabals to frustrate what the government was doing. We agreed with the government that there was a cabal and that the problems they faced were real. But opposition was still reeling with the January 14 loss at the Supreme Court.

We had said that Imo State is our only state and we cannot afford to pull it down but help to build it, no matter who is the governor. In the midst of the cacophony of opposition voices, Uzodinma appears to be with the talisman. What he is doing, no matter how painful it may be at the moment, seems to be the holistic solution for the quagmire we have been in for decades. Many of us wonder why the government cannot pay pensions and gratuity of retired workers with ease. But it is obvious to many now that the problem lies with the cabal that is bent on enriching themselves and frustrating whatever good measures the government has.

Addressing Imo State stakeholders on June 12, the governor hinted at his battle with the cabal on the pension mater.

“Before now, payment systems in government offices for wages and sundry public works have been mired in underhand practices. This is the origin of the so-called ghost worker syndrome. But, in actual fact, there are no ghost workers, only criminals in high places, padding the wage bills of government departments, ministries and agencies to feather their own nests.

“It was clear to me that if we allowed a few people to continue to pad the wage bills of government, and to divert tax deductions from workers to their private coffers, then it would be that we have endorsed the continuation of the cancerous syndrome of a few living on the commonwealth of the people, which has been the bane of our state for years. I had no doubt that it was a herculean task to dismantle an age-long cabal that had been feeding on a payroll fraud for years. I was equally aware that I could be misunderstood initially and, worse still, that the opposition could cash in on it to blackmail and disparage me. But I was not daunted for one second.”

The governor had no option other than fighting the cabal head-on. He was misunderstood, but he realised this fact, and noted: “No one fights a cabal and expects it to raise its hand in surrender. That is unthinkable. They have been fighting back in many ways than one. The opposition has gone into unholy marriage with them to label my administration with a legion of fabrications to incite the public against us. But I have remained unshaken because I know that light will always triumph over darkness. Because I have truth buckled around my waist and integrity for a breastplate, I fear neither conspiracy nor blackmail.”

We are pleased that the governor’s vindication came right on time. We are pleased that we found a kindred spirit in the Archbishop over the existence of a cabal in the civil service and the fact that some top civil servants were playing politics with the government’s determination to resolve the fraud surrounding the payment of pensions and salaries. According to the Archbishop, the cabal includes “those who work in the civil service and do all kinds of orography to prevent the flow of government action.”

We are aware that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not happy with the Archbishop for his candid commendation, optimism and prayers. They have made fruitless efforts to twist what he said to suit their bitter narratives. This, to us, is not the best path to toe. And we hope that this response from the holiest of holies in the state sinks well with the opposition.

•Collins Ughalaa KSC writes from Owerri. He can be reached via ughalaacollins@gmail.com

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