The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State and the state government on Wednesday engaged in a war of words over payment of percentage salaries to the state workers by Governor Akeredolu-led administration.
While the PDP said workers in the state will celebrate bleak Christmas following the inability of the state government to pay their salaries, the state government assured the workers that it is not resting on its oars to ensure workers in the public service enjoy a very pleasant season during the Christmas celebration.
The PDP in a statement by its Publicity Secretary in the state, Mr Kennedy Peretei, described as wicked and completely unacceptable the payment of 30 per cent salary to the state workers, noting that the current administration in the state is owing the workers about six months.
Peretei said the leadership of organised labour unions have been cowed and lost steam to challenge the government, saying the leadership of workers had been ineffective in demanding the rights of workers.
“For more than one year now, workers in Ondo State receive percentage salaries. It could be as ridiculous as 30 per cent of their monthly salary. At the last count, only June 2021 salaries have been paid in full.
“That means, six months salaries are still outstanding. This is in spite of the N18.2b received in tranches as bailout from the Federal Government.
“The sorrows and pains of workers in Ondo State are the worst in the South West. Neighbouring states with less revenue are doing projects and paying staff salaries. Workers in Ondo State have become the butt of jokes, unable to meet the challenges of everyday existence.
“Some who used their salaries as collateral to collect loans from banks and cooperative societies are unable to service these loans. It has never been this bad in the state.
“For a ‘Civil Servants State’, the APC Government has abridged every opening for the people to live a meaningful life. Artisans and market women all groan under the cluelessness of the incumbent administration.
“As Christmas beckons, we can only plead with Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN to wear a human face in his handling of the affairs of the state and avoid many people falling into depression as a result of government policies under his watch.”
But the State government said the PDP is crying more than the bereaved saying the party lacks the moral status to defend the workers after putting the state in the present economic situation.
Speaking through the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo said ”This party called PDP lacks the moral status to defend its former victims the current Akeredolu-led administration is striving hard to bring out of eight-year-old economic strangulation wrought on them by the viciousness of a flippant leadership.”
“The height of pretence is this unpardonable display of amnesia on the part of a party which emplaced a government that laid off several workers with many losing their lives while it lasted, amid a huge debt profile aside a seven-month-old unpaid salary burden.”
Ojogo said “Yes, there are challenges and our desire is to face these challenges headlong with a view to charting a more robust and holistic path to surmount same.
“We will, therefore, unlike the doomsday ilk that held sway before us, rather focus on exploring means to measure up with our avowed commitment to workers welfare than dispensing the state’s commonwealth to bribe higher powers for political stability as was the case before now.
“This Government will ensure workers in the public service enjoy a very pleasant season. The next one week will manifest Government’s seriousness in this regard.
“Workers will smile, as further deeper positive thoughts are already firmed up to ease economic challenges imposed on all of us by the global financial straits.
“Workers in the state public service are already well acquainted with the pretentious posturing of the PDP. They know too well that there could not have been a better advertisement of hypocritical vices by their immediate past tormentors.
“This party called PDP lacks the moral status to defend its former victims the current Akeredolu-led administration is striving hard to bring out of an eight-year-old economic strangulation wrought on them by the viciousness of a flippant leadership.”
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