Group Warns Aregbesola Against Diverting London Paris Loan

…..Says Osun Has Enough Funds to Pay Full 4Months Salaries, Pensions

A civil rights group, Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS), has warned Governor Rauf Aregbesola against shortchanging workers and retirees in the payment of salaries and pension arrears from the N11, 744,237,793.56 received as part of the refunds from the Paris Club loans deductions from the Federal Government

The group alleged that Governor Aregbesola was insensitive to the plight of the workers and retirees in the State, saying that the governor 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.

It called 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, noting that reversed was the case in Osun 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, which was made available to CityMirrorNews 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 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.