The Director of the Ilorin Business School, University of Ilorin, Prof. Lanre Ajibade, has urged the Federal Government to urgently consider providing another financial life-line to state civil servants in Nigeria as many have been alleged to have taken to various crimes for survival. Ajibade, who made the call in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin on Monday, also appealed to the state governors to ensure that the funds got to the common man instead of diverting it to other purposes. He lamented that due that due to poverty, people were forced to donate blood for money for them to survive the harsh time.
“We have heard about secondary school teachers going to the market to steal. “People now kidnap for rituals.
It is getting worse, although the government has its plans, the way things are going, they have to work fast,” he added. According to him, the problem of the country was the issue of corruption, adding that if corruption had not gone deep, the bail-out given by the Federal Government would have been able to settle certain things. “So I just want to appeal to our politicians to pity the common man and spend as expected so that it will touch the common man. “The state governments do not have money and if there is no money what do you do? “The Federal Government should find a way of empowering the states; I don’t know what they would call it, but they should find a way out,” he said.
He urged Federal Government to settle workers’ salaries, adding that the moment workers were not paid their salaries, there would be no way they would like that government. The don explained that it started with the secondary school teachers; now, it has been extended to other units. “These teachers have their children in schools; they need to pay their school fees and when they don’t pay the school fees, where will the private schools get money to pay their own teachers,” he questioned. Ajibade noted that the Federal Government was doing its best, but added that it would take a lot of time to achieve something useful.
Ajibade said that the institution was trying to encourage strong links with the industry and work with employers to develop relevant programmes required for accreditation by professional bodies. He disclosed that the school was ready to partner with relevant bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
