Ondo workers, govt on collision course

THE Ondo State Government and its workforce are heading towards a collision course, as the state governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, on Wednesday, maintained that government does not exist to pay workers salaries only.

Akeredolu stated this during the inauguration of an Ultra-modern Resort constructed by the Ondo State leadership of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, in Oba ile, Akure North Local Government Area of the state.

Akeredolu decried a situation where 90 percent of the N5b monthly allocations of the state is being expended on salaries, pension and other worker’s allowances while neglecting the welfare of the people of the state.

Justifying his statement over his administration’s inability to pay workers’ leave allowance until when the state is buoyant which led to a protest on Tuesday during this year workers’ day celebration.

The governor said it will be difficult to meet other obligations such as employment of more primary school teachers, construction of roads, classrooms and other infrastructural projects.

He explained that the present administration had been regularly releasing N200m to offset backlog of gratuities of retired public servants and payment of car loan for workers at both state and local government levels.

Speaking on the protest by the workers, Akeredolu said, it was not a big deal because it was a fundamental human right of every Nigerian to protest or disagree with government’s decision but he would continue to act in the overall best interest of the state.

The governor said “we earn about N5b every month, N4b goes for salaries, allowances, how do we address the problems of shortage of teachers in primary schools, how do we build classrooms, how do we provide transformers for communities without light, the majority want their roads constructed. The current state of affairs is depressing”.

“It is a tragic irony that some people now refer to our state as a civil service enclave where governance has been reduced, virtually, to the payment of salaries, allowances, grants and subventions”

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He, however, said “you can shout, you can protest, is your fundamental human right, you can remain in sun for days but I will not change my style in the interest of the majority. We are paying salaries regularly, workers must not be selfish, allow us to take care of other people in the state”.

Commending the leadership of NULGE, Akeredolu expressed satisfaction with the state President of NULGE, Comrade Olubunmi Eniayewu and his team for initiating projects that had direct positive impacts on local government workers across the state,

Earlier, the Ondo State President of NULGE, Comrade Olubunmi Eniayewu who said the Union’s recreational facilities which started in 2015, would facilitate easy training and retraining of more local government workers through seminars and entrepreneurial skills acquisition.

Eniayewu who commended Governor Akeredolu for the prompt promotion of his members, however, urged the State government to urgently approve the promotion of local government workers who were due in January 2018.