
An Osun State based civil society organization (CSO), the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) has described the State governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola as a serial and pathological liar for saying that the State government under his watch spent N14.2billon for the payment of modulated salaries and pensions of workers’ and retirees alike with the balance of three(3) months leave bonus to the affected workers and pensioners in the State in less than two weeks, particularly, last quarter of December,2016.
The civil group insisted that the State government just spent only N4.5billion on modulated pensions and salaries with the leave bonus to the affected retirees and workers, describing the N14.2billion figures rolled out on Tuesday by Mr. Aregbesola during the Interdenominational Thanksgiving service as mere Propaganda to cover up the illegal diversion of over N7billion of N11.744bilion out of N84billion Paris Club funds accrued to the State by the Federal Government.
It stated that it was surprised that the State government under Aregbesola’s watch could lying before the men of God during the thanksgiving service for the commencement official governance of the State in 2017,saying that this singular action of Aregbesola has told the good people of the State what they should be expecting in the year 2017 as governance style of the State would be laced with propaganda and lies, adding that upon the various funds received in the last six months, the State government under Aregbesola still owing the workers and retirees alike to the tune of 8 to 10 months arrears of salaries and pensions with gratuities respectively.
Responding to the Aregbesola’s thanksgiving assertion, in a statement signed by the group’s Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, which made available to Journalists on Thursday, disclosed that the governor lacked moral and financial justification to spend N14.2billion on payment of 4months half salaries when the State government would use only N2.3 billion for the monthly payment of full salaries and pensions.
According to the statement, the group explained that Mr. Aregbesola has been working in contrary to the Biblical and Quranic injunctions of Deuteronomy Chapter 24 vrs 14 and Suratul Nahli 16 vrs 90 -91, Suratul Sariyathi 51 vrs 8-11 & Suratul Maidah 5 vrs 51-52 and as well as Constitutional provision of section 14,15,16,17, &210 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the plight of the State workforce and retirees alike.
The statement urged the workers and retirees alike and by extension, the good people of Osun State, not to be deceived by the misleading figures of the State government to pay modulated half salaries of four months with N14.2billion, after having the Ecological funds, Budget Support funds, Local Government funds, N3.5billion Bailout funds balance, State Allocations accrued to the State from the Federation Account and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the State treasury in the last six months.
It therefore insisted that the State government has enough funds to clear all the 8 to 10 months outstanding salaries and pensions arrears without further delaying, challenging the government to come out from its shell to disclose the actual amount of the monthly payment of full salaries and pensions in the State after the conduct of the 2015 Screening exercise, adding that the government should also publish how every fund accrued to the State government from the Federation Account was being spent in order to make the government accountable to the mass of our people as being demanded by the ethos of democracy and international best practices.
Signed:
Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman,
Chairman, Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS)
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