From Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
Ekiti State striking workers have vowed not to back down on their action, aimed at getting the state government to pay their five-month salary arrears.
The workers said yesterday that, no amount of bribery allegations and blackmail levelled against their leaders by the state government will deter them from fighting for the payment of their salaries.
Leaders of the unions described as unfortunate and misleading, comments allegedly made by Governor Ayodele Fayose that they were fighting the government over low sitting allowance being paid them as members of allocation sharing committee.
They described the allegation as “blackmail that won’t bring solutions to the imbroglio already generated by non-payment of salaries.”
They made the remarks yesterday, at the secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) located along Iyin Road, Ado Ekiti while commencing their 3-day fasting and prayers to seek God’s intervention over the failure of government to pay salaries.
The prayer session was coordinated by the NLC Secretary, Oluropo Olayemi, NLC Vice Chairman, Pastor Olugbenga Adeniyi, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, Sola Adigun and Chairman, Community Health Extension Workers, Idowu Fajulugbe.
Meanwhile, the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of hiding under the strike to cause mayhem in Ado Ekiti. A statement by the PDP state’s Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jackson Adebayo in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, said some leaders of the opposition party and external forces were behind the latest planned protest.
… Fayose has money to pay 3 months salaries –Ex-finance commissioner
A former Commissioner for Finance in Ekiti State, Mr. Dapo Kolawole, has cited ‘gross incompetence’ and ‘lack of capacity’ on the part of Governor Ayodele Fayose for the lingering economic crisis in the state.
Kolawole, who was commissioner for finance between 2010 and 2014, said if the state’s resources were properly managed, the state would not be in the present economic mess.
The former commissioner, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, said despite the economic downturn in the country, Ekiti can still afford to pay three months workers’ salaries, thereby reducing the economic crisis that has crippled the state.
Kolawole reiterated that the state can still pay the salaries of workers from money it received in form of refunds and palliatives in the last few months, if the administration was sincere.
Specifically, Kolawole challenged Fayose to explain why he owes local government workers, despite the fact that the local government fund comes directly from the Federation Account.
He also challenged the governor to explain to Ekiti indigenes what happened to the Federal Government’s refund on federal roads and pointed out that the state is suffering because the governor lacked the required creativity, intellectual ability and the capacity to lead in critical moments.
The former commissioner admitted that Dr. Kayode Fayemi’s took loans, but said the various loans were tied to regenerative projects and with a well structured repayment plan that had a seven-year term at the maximum.
He wondered why the incumbent administration in the state refused to apply the refunds to meet the loan repayment as planned.