Banks Under Pressure As Osun Pays December Salary

By Abdulrofiu Agboola

Banks across Osun State were under serious pressure on Friday to attend to mammoth civil servants who had besieged the banks to cash their December salaries.

CUSTOMERS QUEUE AT A BANK

CityMirrorNews gathered that the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administration had paid about N4billion as December salary and pension on Thursday.

It would be recalled that the state government had before Christmas paid three months salary areas of September, October and November.

Many banks, according to findings, could not meet up with the cash demands of the workers and pensioners, as there was no enough cash to pay them.

Banking halls were rowdy as the workers and other customers were lamenting and engaging the bank officials in hot altercations.

It was gathered that many of the workers were unable to access their September, October and November salaries and pensions paid before Christmas.

The three months salaries and pension arrears amounted to N10.6billion, according to reports.

To avoid the reoccurrence of the Christmas experience, the civil servants thronged the banks to draw their salaries on Friday as early as possible.

All banks in Osogbo and major towns across the state had to contend with long queues, while in many instances, customers could not withdraw above N200, 000, because of unavailability of cash to cope with high cash demands.

Some civil servants that spoke with CityMirrorNews on the matter confirmed the development.

Aregbesola had disclosed that the state government received N11.7billion from the Paris clubs loan over deduction but paid about N14.2 billion as salaries and pensions for the months of September to December 2016.