The Government of the State of Osun has announced the commencement of the
process of paying the salaries of civil servants in the state.
In a statement issued by the Governor’s Office, the government said it is
paying the balance of November and and full December salary arrears
owed.We must assure our people that serious efforts are on to ensure the
remaining months are also cleared.
Also, the government has announced a 50% cut in salaries and allowances of
all political office holders in the state.The statement further read that
the government, while saddened and troubled by the turn of events in the
financial status of the state and the country at large, is taking
responsibility for the unfortunate problem and is prepared to meet the
challenge head-on.
“Since the inception of this government, we have treated the resources
under our control with the utmost respect and disbursed them diligently
for the greater benefits of our people. Our mandate had always been to use
our God-given wealth to bridge the gap between the downtrodden and the
government. “It is very unfortunate that we find ourselves unable to pay
our workers their due wages for several months when, in the past, we stood
for paying on or before the 25th of each month. We thank the ever gracious
and understanding workers of our state for their patience as we go through
this most trying time.
“However, we are glad to announce that we have commenced the process of
paying for the balance of November and full December salary arrears for
all our workers across the state and the process should be concluded by
Friday, July 3rd, 2015. We are able to do this because our partners and
creditors have faith in us and we have proven to be responsible and
trustworthy.
“We must emphasize at this point: We are not out of the woods yet! Our
finances took a dive because we were hit by the shock of the sudden and
massive drop in global oil prices while Nigeria also had a Federal
Government that failed in its primary responsibility to secure our people
and our commonwealth. Thanks to the Nigerian people, that evil leadership
has been removed and replaced with a progressive one. That does not
translate to instant cure for our near-empty pockets. We must take drastic
steps to correct many of our past errors and embrace the true realities of
today.
“Therefore, we hereby announce a 50 per cent cut to the salaries and
allowances of all political office holders and appointees. This is one of
the many steps we are taking to ensure the sustenance of our collective.
We are also calling on our people to join us and do their part in carrying
the weight of change.
“Austerity stares us right in the face. We must embrace it. We are going
to intensify our efforts at prudence and frugality. We will practice
self-denial in every way possible. “As we proceed on this journey of
self-discovery, we hope to put more and more of our people to work by
attracting productive investments to our state. The better part of our
resources will go to funding capital projects that will create employment
and unlock wealth. The State of Osun will rise from this situation and
prosper like never before.”