The Nigerian Worker: A Devalued Masterpiece

Its worth is not in the canvas on which it is painted, the grain of the wood from which it is carved. It’s not even from the steel or rots iron or precious metal from which it is forged.

A masterpiece is the work of a fertile mind, skilled hands and a committed spirit. Time and place have their roles to play if the values that drive a people are right and encouraging.

Like art, governance produces its masterpiece. For many and because of the utility value, the programs and projects that touch lives constitute the masterpiece of governance.

Not quite. Look closely and you will discover that the real masterpiece of governance is the civil servant. It is he whose stamp of authority, skill and competence determines the outcome of governance.

So when and if in him, there is no fecundity of thought, no technocratic skill, and there is an absence of the committed spirit, governance becomes an unintelligible smear of paint on valuable canvas.

If you doubt this, please reflect on what Nigerians call the golden age of Nigeria’s civil service. Then there was the Sunday Awoniyis, the Philip Asiodus, the Alison Ayidas. Then, governance was looked forward to because it met the expectations of the people. Orders of government were obeyed without question because the civil servant issued them without asking for personal reward. The scholarship boards were trusted because they gave equal chances to the high and the low. The selection process was blind and only competence was weighed. The ministries were authorities in their sphere of service delivery and the people depended on them and respected them. The Nigerian politician was regarded because, though he was noisy and made many. promises, the people still believed him. He was mindful of the opinion of the public and was careful in dealing with the civil servant who was sold on the rules and played by them. The civil servant himself cared about integrity and was very mindful of the shame that came with being pronounced corrupt or incompetent.

Then the Nigerian worker even in the private sector took his standard of conduct from the civil servant. Then the politician could gauge how far he could deliver on his promises because the civil servant wasn’t just a warehouse of competence and ordered conduct, he was a dependable guide and a reliable shoulder to lean on.

Not anymore, these masterpieces. It is they now who lead the politician into temptation and guide him through the labyrinth of corrupt alleys.

As we celebrate the Nigerian worker today, what manner of worker do we celebrate? One that demands gratification before he issues a death certificate or one that reckons himself as a masterpiece. The former deserves to be undervalued and the latter should be the reason for the May Day match past.

Happy Workers’ Day.