Opinions

Governor Amosun’s love for Ogun workers

OGUN State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on September 20, 2018, approved the total sum of N10 billion out of the N17.3 billion refund from the last tranche of the Paris Club to pay backlog the of cooperative deductions, gratuity, severance packages, furniture allowance and other entitlements it owed its workers.

The gesture, the third in the series, is to boost workers’ morale and enhance productivity as the governor promised to continue to off-set outstanding entitlements of the state workforce whenever funds are available.

The Commissioner for Finance, Wale Osinowo, who made the announcement in Abeokuta, told reporters and the leadership of organised labour under the auspices of Joint Negotiation Council (JAC), led by the state chairman Abiodun Olakanmi and Comrade Bunmi Fajobi of Trade Union Congress (TUC), that the state received the N17.3 billion late Wednesday, September 19, 2018, and brought it to the notice of the residents.

Osinowo said N10 billion, representing 60 per cent of the N17.3 billion, would be spent on workers’ cooperative deductions, gratuity, severance packages and furniture allowance, while the balance of N7.3 billion “will go into social services for the benefits of 7.5 million indigenes of Ogun State.”

ALSO READ: I’m not worried I don’t have NYSC certificate — Shittu

The commissioner restated the commitment of the government to settling outstanding deductions and other entitlements before leaving office next year.

Governor Amosun, had in December 2016, approved the total sum of N12.5 billion for the payment of gratuities, cooperative deductions arrears and severance allowance of former political office holders in the state.

Secretary to the State Government, (SSG) Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa, who gave the breakdown at a media briefing, had said N5.5bn was disbursed for the payment of six months arrears of outstanding cooperative deductions to all categories of the workforce.

Another N6bn was disbursed then for the payment of gratuities to pensioners covering the period between November 2012 and January 2014.

The 2016 gratuity payment benefitted not less than 2,429 retirees.

The SSG added then that the state government had also approved the payment of N1bn to clear the balance of severance allowance due to political office holders who served the immediate past administration of former governor Gbenga Daniel between 2007 and 2011 as well as those who served between 2011 and 2015.

Explaining the source of the fund, the SSG said, it came from the N10.6bn Ogun State government received from the Paris Club refund, which the Federal Government shared in December 2016 to different states of the federation.

Whereas the Federal Government advised state governments to use only 50 per cent of the fund for payment of workers’ emolument, the Ogun State governor decided to spend it all on the workforce because of the love he has for the workers.

Governor Amosun has continued to thank the entire civil servants in the state for their endurance while affirming that their welfare was paramount to him and that he would continue to do all within his powers to cater for the civil and public servants.

Six months after (July 18, 2017, to be precise), Governor Amosun approved another sum of N4.5 billion for the payment of cooperative deductions arrears to all categories of workers in the state.

The sum of N3.4 billion was disbursed for the payment of six months arrears of outstanding cooperative deductions to all categories of the workforce at the state level.

Another N1.1 billion was disbursed for the payment of three months of outstanding cooperative deductions to workers at the local government level.

The sum of N1.2 billion was expended on state expenditure.

Explaining the source of the fund, Oshinowo said it came from the N5.7 billion Ogun State government received from the Paris Club refund, which the Federal Government shared in July 2017 to different states of the federation.

Whereas the Federal Government advised state governments to use only 50 per cent of the fund for payment of workers’ emolument, Governor Amosun decided to apportion 79 percent on the workforce because of the love he has for the workers.

“Ogun State is apportioning 79 per cent to staff welfare and only 21 per cent on state expenditure, aside the fact that the state government, in its usual practice, has paid June 2017 salary to all categories of workers at both the state and local government levels,” Oshinowo added.

Besides the monetary compensation, Governor Amosun has also been rewarding the hard work and dedication to duty of civil servants in the state.

In December 2016, he presented four civil servants in the state with keys to 2-bedroom apartments at the AAK Degun Estate, Laderin, Abeokuta.

The workers who were rewarded included Mrs. Folashade Adekoya, an officer of the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE); Mr Isiaka Alani Sule, a staff of the Governor’s Office; Alhaji Adeshina Waheed and Pastor Wole Dosumu both of the Ministry of Information and Strategy.

Explaining why the civil servants were picked out for the reward, Governor Amosun said it was simply to show that hard work and dedication to duty pays.

He explained that Adekoya was picked for the reward because of her selfless and untiring service as a traffic officer.

“Come rain, come sunshine, she is always at her duty post working and she never knew that I was noticing her,” the governor said.

A similar scenario applied to Sule, Waheed and Dosunmu who were all rewarded by the governor for dedication to duty.

In same vein, the World Bank Group, through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, has approved $60m grant for the implementation of rural and marketing projects in Ogun State.

The approval was for the World-Bank assisted Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) in the state, which is being done in conjunction with the state government through its counterpart funding.

The Project Coordinator, Samuel Onabanjo, who confirmed the approval to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, on the sidelines of the World Bank Appraisal Mission on Project Appraisal Document, said the Ogun State government had released the sum of N713m as counterpart funds for the implementation of the project.

Onabanjo stated that the Federal Government was also included in the financing of the project, noting that the project had been on for three years, “while modalities for effective implementation were being worked out by the relevant stakeholders.”

He explained, “The World Bank and other donor agencies, including the International Bank for Reconstruction, have approved the sum of $60m grant for the implementation of the RAAMP project in Ogun State.

“The state governor, Ibikunle Amosun, had approved the sum of N344m for last year’s commitment, while the sum of N369m has been approved as 2018 counterpart funding for the project, which is expected to take off soon in the state.

“The government has also recruited workers and provided office accommodation for the officers who are working on the project.”

Governor Amosun, had assured that the state will witness massive rural road construction.

“We will take advantage of the opportunities provided by the World Bank through the Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAAMP) to ensure easy access to farm produce and mobility of rural dwellers to modern facilities such as pipe borne water, electricity and qualitative health care delivery”, the Governor had promised.

“We already have two sites at Aworo and Imeko. Apart from the fact that the projects will go a long way in improving the quality of our environment, it will also boost our forestry development plan and promote investment in the Timber industry,” he said.

The Ogun State government is also looking more seriously at agriculture and agri-business. “Agriculture will not only ensure food security, but provide huge employment opportunities for our teeming youth. We are exploring an agro-politan development strategy, which emphasises the localisation of the entire value chain that Agriculture provides: grow-process-store–package–market-sell.

“This will ensure that millions of our citizens will be engaged in the Agricultural value chain and will be able to prosper wherever they are,” Governor Amosun said.

The governor has also reassured the people of Ogun State that his administration will leave no project uncompleted.

“Let me again re-assure you that the commencement of new projects will not in any way affect the completion of on-going projects spread across the three Senatorial districts,” he said.