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Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has explained last Saturday that his administration was not responsible for the delay in the payment of salaries and allowances of the workers as insinuated by the members of the public.
According to him, any government that is interested in accelerated development, will regularly pay all the entitlements of workers with a view to motivating them.
Aregbesola made the clarification at the 19th Anniversary of Ipetu Ijesha 2011 Day celebration, held at the Elefusan School of Science, Ipetu Ijesa in Oriade Local Government Council Area of the state.
The governor, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Local Government, Chieftaincy Matter and Rural Development, Honourable Bisi Odewumi, condemned the cynicism surrounding the payment of workers' salaries.
He said; "it is important to dismiss the rumor in the state that Governor Aregbesola has refused to pay workers' salaries.
These rumor mongers have lost their sense of judgment to even question what the governor would gain by not paying the workers."
"We thank God today that contrary to what we met on ground when they were borrowing before paying the workers, we have sufficient fund to pay workers now. This administration has saved N22 billion in less than a year. So, the question is why a government with this resources, will withhold workers' salaries? Odewumi questioned.
He attributed the problem to the delay in the preparation of vouchers form the government agencies and parastatals.
"When the workers resumed after the strike action, it was an arduous task for them to prepare the vouchers of three months with the new salary scales approved by the state government and if there was no document to approve for payment, how then can they get their salaries?" The role of the governor is to sign and he is ready to do it at any time," he submitted.
Odewumi urged the people to ignore the rumour and support the transformational agenda of the current government in the state.
Explaining the efforts of the government on transportation and agriculture, he said the partnership of the Osun State government and the Nigeria Railway Corporation is already succeeding.
He said for the first time in the last eight years, train arrived Osogbo last week with heavy load of cement.
The governor's special adviser added that the rail system will assist in transportation of farm produce to urban cities and the goods exchange strategies with other South West States.
Osun Defender