- As many wonder how Delta State government spends its allocations
By Lillian Okenwa
Indeed the cane don tire and what a delightsome way to retire it.
Hers is one of those few stories that have happy endings. But, beyond the goodwill, scholarships, promises, cash donations, invitation to the Presidential villa as well as the drama and all that has trailed that gripping viral video, the question is – what about the several other kids like Success Adegor? What about them? Several who have been sent home. Several who were perhaps, angrier and much more bitter but not fortunate enough to have someone film and make it viral. Many who have not had the good fortune of having their stories told.
Then again, is it not most ridiculous that it took that video to expose the state of primary school education in government schools in Delta state; a government that prides itself on infrastructural development?
At what point would government at all levels in Nigeria begin to take education seriously? What about the economy? Success’s parents in oil rich Sapele in Delta state are obviously poor. That, however, is the story of many Nigerians today. They live below poverty line. Else, why should their little girl be embarrassed on account of N800 examination levy? The girl’s stance and attitude in the clip showed she was used to being sent home for owing fees. Notwithstanding, she was extremely upset. Thankfully, her prophesy has been fulfilled, the cane don tire! Her life has been changed forever.
For any parent to send his or her ward to a school as hideous as Okotie Eboh Primary School 1, Sapele, means they have no alternative. This equally means that beyond the diverse support Success is presently enjoying, our institutions need to be strengthened.
Swiftly, the State Government has commenced face-lift at the school. Delta State Commissioner for Education, Barr. Chiedu Ebie acknowledged that they are yet to fix all the schools, but was quick to state that the Okowa led administration since assumption of office has built and reconstructed over 4,000 classroom blocks and provided furniture, learning and instructional materials to public schools in the state with a view to making them conducive and competitive with the private schools. Well said, but what a time to reel out a curriculum vitae.
Distressed by the incident, renowned economist, Dr. Pat Utomi in a statement said: “You would expect shame to overcome the machinery of government in Delta for being incompetent to manage the school system as exposed by Success. But not the Delta State Government; they had become numb to shame or unable to understand the implication of the face-off Success had come to symbolise.”
Ozioma Izuora, a legal practitioner put it this way: “But shame on our government! That it should take the humiliation of a minor for a school building to be getting refurbished! In my time as a teacher there used to be inspectors going around to monitor what goes on in the schools. An illegal fee is something they should have been able to pick up on monitoring….
“Our education has gone to the dogs! In modern educational thought, supervision is a phase of administration with particular emphasis on the products of teaching and learning activities. Educational administration and supervision are regarded as the total processes inclusive of all responsibilities and functions necessary for running a school.”
Similarly, Chinedu Anarado, Project Manager at eHealth Africa said: “It is sad that every time you encounter Nigeria’s system, you are convinced that we will continue to play catch up to serious economic and innovation blocs of the world. It seems we will continue to feed off their progress, at great disadvantage to our own growth and development. Our efforts have never been about innovations or leveraging modern technology, but deepening the out dated models we have been used to while delinquently squandering the resources we could have deployed for innovative growth.”
Eulogising the social media for this feat, another attorney, Ogechi Abu noted that this is a most potent means to expose people in authority who exploit their privileged positions.
Some insist that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has broken the jinx of underdevelopment. They insist there is no local government in the state which is not experiencing one form of development or the other and that over 296 roads have been constructed in all parts of the state. Yet, Delta, one of the richest states in Nigeria, is among the most undeveloped. Its cities including Sapele and Warri despite the presence of multinational oil companies are nothing close to modern. The squalor, unemployment and huge waste of human capital is alarming. One begins to wonder, what happens to all those monthly allocations?
Delta State, carved out of the former Bendel State on August 27, 1991 has for many years, and alternating with Akwa Ibom and Rivers, received the most allocation based on the 13 percent derivation. This implies that Delta state with a little over four million population receives more money than Lagos and Kano with their nine million population (2006 Census figures). This also indicates that under the right circumstance, the average Delta person should have double the money a Lagosian or someone from Kano ought to from the revenue sharing. Link that to the fact that the state plays host to several oil companies who actually have a budget to develop their host communities; an enormous budget, as well as the fact that its soil has nourished Nigeria by growing timber and rubber. Then you will want to know why Delta state is not competing with Dubai.
Data obtained from a series of reports from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), disclosed that oil-producing states in Nigeria received N7.006 trillion as payments under the 13 per cent Derivation principle over the last 18 years, from 1999 to 2016. The oil producing states are Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Cross River, Edo, Bayelsa, Abia, Ondo, Imo, Anambra, and of recent, Lagos State.
In first quarter of 2018, Niger Delta states shared N593.1b. Four South South states were the highest earners from the Federation Account, according to the breakdown of the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) report for the first quarter of the year. The oil producing states of Akwa Ibom (N50.880b), Delta (N49.430b) Rivers N42.740) and Bayelsa (N38.890b) earned the highest.
For the past 28 years Delta has received all manner of monetary allocations but not in any way close to Lagos, least of all Dubai in terms of advancement. From a backward fishing town, it took the discovery of oil in in 1966 and a deliberate desire for positive change to transform Dubai to what it is today.
In the 1990’s the famous Sheikh Rashid highway had been introduced. Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) was inaugurated in 2002 following spur of other investments like Media City, Internet City and so on. By year 2000, it had carved a name for itself for being known for its successful building projects. Within this period, Delta (created in 1991) had received allocations running into billions of naira for about nine years; enough to make it a city befitting of its oil production and revenue received.
Despite its huge allocations which overshadowed both Lagos and Kano’s, rivalled only by Akwa Ibom and Rivers, there is nothing admirable or visible about development in Delta state. Roads and other public utility infrastructure are in dreadful conditions. Abandoned projects and an unrelenting culture of mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds persist.
This is a position Dr. Utomi identifies with as he has often said the state had more than enough revenues to give qualitative education, health and infrastructure to the people and to power agriculture endowment value chains and alleviate poverty.
To sum up, here are more of his words: “That all is not well with how Delta is governed has become clear with the Success resistance video; that story of the little girl who bravely said no more, with a steely determination.”
Ms Okenwa, a Legal Practitioner and Editor-in-Chief/Publisher – Law & Society Magazine, wrote in from Abuja
