Spend fresh allocation to pay workers, APC tells Fayose

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has asked Governor Ayodele Fayose to spend the fresh monthly Federal Allocation to the state to pay workers’ salaries and dying pensioners’ entitlements.

The Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement that the fresh Federal Allocation of N4.732 billion to the state, excluding Local Government allocation, presented an opportunity for the workers and pensioners to be paid at least four months of their salary arrears and allowances at once.

The APC said it was glaring that the wage bill of the state was not up to N2.6 billion as always claimed by Fayose.

Olatunbosun said in the statement: “Since he claims to be a friend of the masses, Fayose should be honest with Ekiti people and with God now that he has been exposed by adding the N4.7 billion state allocation to the local government allocation which is almost the same amount.

“It is gratifying that the Federal Government announced the July allocations to the 36 states giving  details of figure each of the states receives.

“Governor Fayose is fond of distorting facts about allocations to the state and on several occasions lying that the state receives barely N500 million after deductions.

“Now that the Federal Government has announced that July allocation to Ekiti State is N4.732 billion after deductions and separate from the local government allocation, Ekiti people can no longer be deceived that the state received peanut in July as an excuse for failure to pay salary.”

Olatunbosun also urged the governor to release “other peanuts” he refused to use to pay salary in the past and add it to the fresh allocation to pay workers and dying pensioners other entitlements due to them.

He charged Fayose to demonstrate that he was a friend of workers by releasing alleged stolen funds, including MDG’s cash traced to his accounts, to pay workers.

He said: “The EFCC has made mind-boggling revelations on the various sums of public cash traced to the accounts of the governor, including kickbacks from contractors and multi-million naira mansions in Lagos and Abuja.

“As a friend of the masses and workers, this is the time to surrender the proceeds of sales of such illegal properties to help his friends in need over inability to pay their salaries.

“Only two weeks ago, Fayose received another N1.3b Budget Support Fund from the Federal Government to pay salary. This is in addition to the July  State and local government allocation totalling over N9 billion.

“With this, there is no excuse for shortage of funds to pay salaries of the suffering Ekiti workers who are at the receiving end of crooked financial regulations in the state with its adverse consequences on the economy on Ekiti as a civil service state.We will do everything under the law to make Fayose use the money to pay workers’  salary and pensioners’ allowances.”