Salaries: Stop shortchanging the workers, retirees in Osun, CSCEOS warns Aregbesola

A civil rights group, Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation
of Osun State (CSCEOS) has warned Mr. Rauf Aregbesola led State
government against shortchanging the workers and retirees alike from
the payment of salaries and pension arrears upon receipt of a sum of
N11, 744,237,793.56 as part of the refunds from the Paris Club loans
deductions through the Federal Government, insisting that Mr.
Aregbesola was insensitive to the plight of the workers and retirees
in the State.

The group alleged that Mr. Aregbesola had planned to divert the larger
percentage of the recently released Paris Club loans deductions as the
State government under his watch had earlier diverted the N16.3billion
out of N35billon bailout funds released to the State in August 2015
for the payment of backlog of workers’ salaries and pension, calling
on the anti-graft agencies to monitor the disbursement of the newly
released Paris Club Loans funds.

It maintained that the Federal Government had advised the States with
the backlog of salaries and pension arrears to use the newly released
Paris Club loan deduction to clear the arrears but reversed was the
case in the State as Aregbesola’s government had concluded
arrangement to pay the salaries of workers on grade Level 1-7, 8-10
and 12 and above, 100%, 75% and 50% of September, October and November
respectively as from Monday December 19th, 2016.While that of the
affected retirees would be paying N1,000-N20,000, N20,001-N80,000 and
N80,001 as 100%,N75% and 50% of pensions respectively.

In a statement issued and signed by the Chairman of the group, Comrade
Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, after the end of the year extended meeting of
the Civil Society Organization(CSO) at the weekend,where all its
members across the local government areas of the State were in
attendance, which was made available to newsmen on Sunday, stated that
the State government under Aregbesola’s watch were economical with the
truth about the allocation being received in the State in recent time,
alleging that the State government were spent just only N1.2 billion
for the payment half salaries and pensions, not acclaimed N1.7billion.

The statement according to the reliable source, further stressed that
the available resources in the State treasury including the acclaimed
balance of N3.362billion bailout funds by the State Account-General,
could pay the four (4) months full salaries of workers and retirees
alike from September to December, 2016 and the State government would
still have more funds for its acclaimed moribund infrastructural
projects as well as the one to be shared and diverted illegally,
urging the affected workers and retirees in the State to ensure the
collection of full salaries as the finances of the State have been
improved in line with the Labour/Government agreement in 2015.

The group rejected the current imposed payment formula of the State
government which was against the proposed formula of Comrade Hassan
Sunmonu led-Revenue Apportionment Committee, including, the payment of
balance of Leave Bonus from October to December 2014, challenging Mr.
Aregbesola to disclose the huge amount of funds including; Ecological
funds, Budget Support funds, Local Government funds, Internally
Generated Revenue(IGR) funds and State Allocations accrued to the
State from the Federation Account from August 2016 till the present
moment of going to press, aside the N11.7 billion Paris Club Loan
deduction.

It however disclosed that the officials of the three arms of the
government, including the remaining political appointees of the State
have been collecting their full salaries and allowances since all this
while from State treasury, described the insensitivity of the State
government under Aregbesola’s watch to the plight of the workers and
retirees alike as wickedness, ungodly, evil, unconstitutional,
undemocratic, gross irresponsibility, anathema, abomination and crime
against God and humanity.

The group sees the Hassan Sunmonu Allocation Apportionment Committee
as a toothless bulldog and body that could only bark but could not
bite, advised the Committee to begin to make their sittings’ decisions
on the allocation of the resources accrued to the State from the
Federation Account and the total amount allocated for the payment of
wages and pensions to the public in order to avoid being seeing as an
accomplish of Aregbesola and his co- travelers in shortchanging of the
workers and retirees alike and by extension ,the good people of the
State.

It added that there should be nothing secretive in the governing of
the State, particularly, the proceedings and decisions of the Sunmonu
Committee on the allocations of funds accrued to the State, advising
the Labour leaders in the State to stop being the puppet and appendage
of Aregbesola’s government where they mortgaged the welfare of the
State workforce for the pots of porridge.