Says: I wish I can Increase Salaries rather than slash it,
The Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has dissociated himself from
the resolution made by the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) over the N18,000
minimum wage, describing the decision of his colleagues who are mostly
from the All Progressives Congress (APC) states as callous, inhuman,
wicked, cruel and a ground move by the ruling party to further impoverish
Nigerian people.
Fayose made this known while having an interactive session with government
workers at Otun-Ekiti, the headquarters of Moba Local Government Area of
the state.
“Last week, I read in newspapers, a report credited to my colleagues who
are mostly from the ruling APC states, declaring that they could no longer
pay a minimum wage of N18,000 to their workers. Let me assert for the
records and for posterity sake that I, Peter Ayodele Fayose, your governor
in Ekiti State was not part of that satanic resolution.
“Let it also be on record that I and most PDP Governors did not attend the
meeting and I did not authorize any resolution. I also wish to inform the
general public that the Governors who addressed the press conference were
only carrying out the script written for them by President Buhari.” Fayose
declared.
Speaking further on the resolution which has been extremely condemned by
the General public, Fayose argued that instead of declaring war on the
common people, his colleagues in the APC should reduce their excesses and
capital flight.
“I will not be part of any decision that would further pauperize Nigerian
people. What can N18,000 do in the Nigeria of today that a Governor would
say he could no longer pay as monthly salaries?
“Today, the economy is hemorrhaging. There’s no light and no fuel to power
our generator. A barrel of crude oil now goes for $39 despite the
electioneering promise made to stabilize it, yet, officially, a liter of
petrol stands at N87. This is fraudulent. A dollar goes for N236. Our
school children are still awaiting their food. The hope of unemployed
Nigerian youths has been dashed. The free education promised Nigerians has
been denied. They have been ruling us on the pages of Newspaper.
“A liter of petrol now costs N180 in Ado-Ekiti, yet, some people, with all
due respect to them, addressed a press conference in the office of the
Vice-President, their party man, telling the World that N18, 000 minimum
wage has created burden for them and thus, the National Assembly should
remove the minimum wage from the constitution so that federal and state
governments could be paying salaries according to their capacity. This is
unacceptable to me. Their plan is to downsize.
They want to institutionalize poverty in Nigeria.
“Consequently, I wish to advise my colleagues to look inward instead of
playing to the gallery. They should reduce their excesses. Our security
votes should be downwardly reviewed because I have reviewed mine. They
should look for how to increase their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
“Our protocol officials and their allowances should be reduced and
reviewed. Capital flight should be slashed. I am putting it to them (the
governors) that they are carrying out the bidding of President Buhari.
They are being tele-guided by President Buhari to act against the common
people which is bad for our nation” Fayose averred.
The governor urged Ekiti workers to continue to support his administration,
promising that rather than slash minimum wage, if he have his way, he
would increase their salary so that hunger and poverty could reduce in the
state.