The news making the rounds that several months’ salaries being owed workers in Ondo State would be ‘waived’ has been denied by the state’s governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
He declared that his administration would soon offset the N34bn of six months salaries owed the workers in the state.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Segun Ajiboye, the governor described the reports as falsehood, saying there was no event he asked the workers to forgo two months of their salary arrears.
The governor appealed to the people behind the spread of the report to desist from the act. He said the report was a dangerous trend, capable of causing disaffection among the people of the state.
He said, “I want to state here that there is no truth in rumour making the rounds that the administration is asking workers in the state to forgo two months of the salary arrears owed them. The talk is nothing but a pack of lies and a mere imagination of the people behind its spread.
“I would love to reiterate my commitment to make the welfare of the workers the priority of this administration. They are goose that lay the Golden Eggs and I appreciate their efforts and commitment to develop Ondo State and take it to the next level.”
Similarly, Governor Akeredolu has said the revenue inflows accruing to the state must geometrically increase in order for the government to be able to deliver promptly on all projections set by the administration.
The governor, who spoke while receiving the report of the Committee on the Payment of Arrears of Salaries of Public Servants in Ondo State on Monday, said the Internally Generated Revenue profile of the state has to be taken to a proportion above the recurrent expenditures of the state for meaningful development to take place.
While presenting the report, the Chairman of the Committee, who is also the state deputy governor, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, said the salary arrears owed workers by the previous administration amounted to N38.57bn, while N41.5bn was owed to retired personnel as gratuities.
“Mr Governor, we came in February 24th, 2017, we have paid salaries for February, March, April 2017 and August 2016.Right now, what is outstanding as salaries for five months is N34.5bn and N41.5bn representing outstanding gratuities across board,” the chairman stated.
Credit: punchng.com
