The May and June salaries of all political office holders in Oyo State, including former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, his aides, current governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, as well as his aides are yet to be paid. This is because after payment of the May minimum wage of N18,000, in conformity with agitation by workers in the state, there was no money left in government's coffer to pay political office-holders.
Ajimobi's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Dr. Festus Adedayo, gave the clarification in a statement in Ibadan, the state capital on Saturday.
Adedayo was reacting to a statement by Alao-Akala's spokesman, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, in which he cast aspersions on the present administration for not paying the former governor and his aides, among other issues.
Adedayo said that Alao-Akala had no moral right to berate his successor for non-payment of his salary for his last month in office when, in contravention of an injunction taken against him in a law court, he flagrantly paid himself and his aides what he described as a stupendous 300 per cent of his annual salary, which equals three-year salary, as severance package, leaving the treasury dry afterwards.
He said, "The financial rascality and massive looting of the state by the Alao-Akala government had literally brought the state on its canvass."
He said payment of the May salary came in the heat of labour agitations for increment in salaries and due to the paucity of funds and the governor's decision to prioritise payment of the increment, there was no money left to pay political office appointees.
Punch