Gov.Aregbesola |
Osun
State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has affirmed that the ongoing financial
crisis in the state was beyond his control.
The
governor has been facing public criticism over his inability to pay civil
servants in the state for months.
Aregbesola
stated this while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with
President
Muhammadu Buhari behind closed-doors at the Defence House in Abuja on
Friday.
“I led an
administration in receipt of regular allocation in which I do my budget.
“Unfortunately,
this allocation started falling in rapid form that totally disorganised my
budget and any other arrangement.”
Aregbesola
said those who want to be objective would readily admit that the Osun State of
November 2010 when he assumed office and Osun of today are not the same.
The
governor further explained that with the unexpected and sharp decline in
revenue, his administration had a dislocation.
The
result of that dislocation, he explained, is the sad experience.
The
governor added, “Were it to be Osun alone, probably I would not have an excuse.
“I pray
it does not continue. I am not sure if there will be any state that will
actually escape from the biting effect of the absolute sharp drop which I call
economic disaster that we are grappling with.
“Since my
inauguration on November 27, 2010, I had made it a duty to pay salary on or
before 25th of every month up until January 2014 when that became practically
impossible.
“I have
been giving the same staff who today are, regrettably and painfully, not being
paid annual bonus that we call 13th month salary. There was no demand for it. I
just felt that workers must be encouraged, they must be inspired.
“I did
that religiously and faithfully from 2010 to 2013. The development that led to
this began precisely in July when we received the June allocation and it was
short by 40 percent.
"Since then, what we have been receiving from the Federation Account is less than the wages, personnel cost. It is far and not mildly less.”
The governor went on to explain that the situation was even compounded because his government was unable to go to bank to borrow to pay the wages commitment.
Assuring, however, that with the efforts he was putting in place, there would be hope by month the end of this month, he said, “It is a sad development. I am struggling to reduce the pain as much as possible and I am almost at the end of the efforts I am making to ensure that by the end of this month,
I will have enough to at least meet to a large extent the salary needs of the workers”.
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