Mixed reactions trail FG’s alleged release of N16bn to Osun

Following the reported angst of some state governors over the alleged payment of N16 billion by the Federal Government to the Osun State government, the government has denied receiving any payment from the Federal Government.

The state government, in a statement signed by the media adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Mr Sola Fasure, said: “There was no such payment. That report was purely mischievous. There have been several requests from the state government about outstanding money owed Osun by the Federal Government and it has been on for like three years now. Correspondences between the state and the Federal Government are there and I think those who wrote the reports are trying to circumvent the idea.

“No payment has been made yet. From time to time, the Federal Government pays states some amounts of outstanding monies owed them for one reason or the other. But no payment has been made. I don’t even know the amount. Honestly, I don’t know the amount and no payment has entered the state government’s account,” Aregbesola’s aide said.

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On whether the correspondences between the state and Federal Government had to do with federal road projects, Fasure said “roads are also included and there are so many issues. What goes on in government every day, there are correspondences about outstanding this, outstanding that; it’s an everyday thing. In almost all the states of the federation, it is nothing unusual. Some people are just trying to play mischief. But the bottom line is that no payment has been made,” said the state government.

However, mixed reactions have continued to trail the alleged payment, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) criticising the development, calling on the Aregbesola to utilise the funds in offsetting the backlog of salary arrears owed civil servants.

Speaking on the alleged payment, the state chairman of the NLC, Comrade Jacob Adekomi, expressed happiness over the development, saying the state government should do the needful by using the funds, which he claimed was parts of the Paris Club refund to pay 34 months’ salary arrears to workers.

But the Osun State chapter of the SDP and its governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore,  criticised Aregbesola over the N16.67 billion allegedly released by the Federal Government for the September 22 election, saying «it is the height of wickedness for a government that has not been able to pay its workforce to propose to spend a humongous N16.67 billion on election just to perpetrate itself in power.”

In a release by the Secretary Labour/CLO of SDP, the party alleged that the money was «clandestinely released to Osun State government from the last tranche of the Paris Club recently.»

It urged Governor Aregbesola and his party, APC to consider the plight of Osun workers and pensioners by paying their outstanding salaries “now that he›s in possession of such humongous money,» while admonishing the governor «not to waste the money on election but to put it to better use.”