Governance is about the welfare of the people. Although leaders may want to discountenance this fact, sometimes for noble reasons, welfare remains a critical plank of progressive leadership at all levels. This is why many commentators believe that investing in the people’s welfare, such as human capital, is the foundation of sustainable development and growth. No wonder, Dalai Lama posited that “the more we take the welfare of others to heart and work for their benefits, the more benefit we derive for ourselves. This is a fact that we can see”.
Since assuming power in 2023, Governor Dauda Lawal Dare has prioritised the welfare of the Zamfara people. The latest instalment of that commitment is the recent payment of leave grant which translates to 10% of the annual salaries of workers in the service of the state and local governments. This income award was released as Ramadan bonus.
Recall that last December, Zamfara was one of only three states across the federation, which granted awards for its workers with the 13th month salary – an extra one-month salary package to help workers cushion their end of year financial difficulties.
Despite the importance of this 13th month for the preparedness of workers for a new year of diligent service delivery, not even the federal government has kept faith with it. Yet, for the first time in the history of Zamfara state, Governor Dauda Lawal Dare found it necessary to do so even as he promised to sustain its payment.
The implication of this commitment is that workers in the service of the state can now, at least, maintain some semblance of financial control heading into every new year. Nothing gives the civil servant more peace of mind than the feeling of starting a new year safe from financial stress. Everybody wins under this arrangement. The worker is more relaxed, and productivity is sure to go over the roof.
If the 13th month came across as a surprise to Zamfara workers, then the directive earlier this year from the governor to verify pensioners and commence payment of N13.4 billion backlog of benefits owed retirees may come as an even bigger surprise. This is because, successive governments of the state, dating as far back as 2011, have simply refused to settle the retirement benefits of workers who served the state with their sweat and blood.
Following the governor’s directive, payment of the N13.4 billion backlog of gratuities including death, retirement and contract gratuities commenced in earnest last February to retirees whose data and claims had been verified. This followed the appreciable progress made by the committee setup to authenticate the data of the retired civil servants that were owed the accumulated debt spanning over 11 years. The decision to start payment even while verification is yet to be fully concluded is a statement of the governor’s good intention and resolve towards offsetting the gratuities.
So far, of the 3,079 pensioners who have been verified, 1,746 have received their gratuity payments in two tranches from both the state and local governments. The total amount paid, so far, comes up to N2,312,841,065.08. Payment for the second tranche of verified pensioners’ gratuity also commenced on Friday, March 1, 2024. More and more pensioners have been paid since then as smiles permeate the entire state.
Without mincing words, the Governor Lawal administration has been a welfarist one from the start and he has maintained that worker friendliness. Recall that on assumption of office last year, the governor immediately settled outstanding salaries owed by the previous governments. And, not only has he never failed to pay salaries as at when due, the state workers have also been treated to a mouth-watering 13th month salary.
It is no wonder then that organised labour in Zamfara state comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, conferred the excellence award on Dauda Lawal as the most compassionate governor.
Yet, the focus of the governor has not only been trained on the welfare of the state’s workers alone. Everyone has been carried along in Dauda Lawal’s total welfare approach to governance. Recall that the governor was among the first to setoff the distribution of grains and other palliatives to cushion the biting effect of the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu.
At the onset of this Ramadan, the governor distributed assorted foodstuffs to 13,000 very poor and vulnerable households across the four local government areas of Bungudu, Gusau, Maru and Tsafe. This was done to ease the plight of this category of people as they observe the Ramadan fast.
Perhaps, the pick of the bunch for me, both in the context of significance and future impact, is the governor’s recent resolution of a debt overhang with WAEC to secure the release of withheld results of Zamfara students. Recall that WAEC withheld results of Zamfara state students over the inability of Dauda’s predecessors to pay the examination body N1.4 billion examination fees owed it.
The implication of this shortsightedness by past governors of the state is that many who passed out from secondary school and should have proceeded to tertiary institutions have been denied that opportunity. A closer look at this unfortunate situation may even connect it with the current insecurity bedeviling the state. Who knows, if many of the restive youths had not had their results withheld by WAEC and had continued in school, insecurity may not have been as rife as it is.
Governor Dauda Lawal Dare is setting the pace for people-centric governance. On the strength of his showing, so far, it is safe to say that the man does not plan to take his foot off the pedal any time soon. So, as he continues to wage this three-pronged battle against insecurity, infrastructural development, and poor welfare, including education, the least the people can do is to keep faith with him. As the Hausa will say, a good Friday manifests its signs from Wednesday.
Umar writes from Gusau
