KOWA Guber Aspirant Berates Osun Commissioner For Finance On The Poor Welfare Of Osun’s Workers

Prof  Oluseyi Fabiyi

A gubernatorial aspirant on  the platform of KOWA party in Osun State, Prof. Seyi Fabiyi has expressed dissatisfaction on the condition in which full payment of salaries of civil servants in Osun state was based by the state Commissioner Finance Mr Bola Oyebamiji.

Fabiyi faulted the  Commissioner, who was reported to have tasked the staff in his ministry to double their efforts in tax collection and generation of minimum of  10 billion monthly within the state, as the only way the government can pay workers full salary.

He described as  callous and misdirection such a directive, saying it was obvious that he is either unaware that the state population is already groaning under the heavy tax burden in different  disguise by the people.

Expressing his view about the tax enforcement , Fabiyi said engagement of tax consultants to collect tax in Osun, using Lagos standard is not acceptable.

“It was widely reported in different media organizations that Osun state commissioner for finance tasked the staff in his ministry to double their efforts in tax collection and generate at least 10 billion monthly from the people of the state as the only condition in which the Government can pay workers full salary.

“That is callous to say the least,  it is obvious that he is either unaware that the state population is already groaning under the heavy tax burden in different  disguise by the people.

“The commisoner did not do proper analysis of probable tax that can be obtained from the people before he gave his staff the charge to generate 10b monthly and he hanged the payment of full salary to the ability to generate IGR from taxation”, he said.

He added  that the Commissioner’s direction was meant to set the people of Osun state against the workers,  knowing fully well that many people from the state are groaning under excruciating poverty, joblessness and employment.

Fabiyi said Osun workers should not be treated as orphan and disdain.

While querying the commissioner on the inability to pay workers full salary, the gubernatorial aspirant asked “why is it that despite the fact that there is no promotion since your government came on board that all your allocation cannot pay salary again”?

He added that Osun state workers are not liabilities to be pitied but if rightly engaged they can generate necessary resources to pay their salaries from their Internally Generate Revenue IGR.

His words: “Mr commisioner put on your thinking cap and look for other ways of generating IGR and not from increasing taxation. Manny organisations in Osun are struggling to pay saarie to their workers because micro economy of household is in comatose”.

“Stop thinking as an emperor who must not be challenged but discuss with them on how to raise fund for governance engage them in profitable businesses and you will be amazed how much you can generate as profit which can be used for govermace and payment of salary”.

“Gone are the days of armchair governance , sit up and think, act and stop these rhetorics”, Fabiyi resorted.