Osun: APC, PDP throw punches over unpaid worker’s salary arrears
The All Progressives Congress, APC in Osun State says it has been vindicated on its earlier position on the inability of the Ademola Adeleke administration to fulfil its obligation to the government workers.
The Party made the claims in a statement by its Acting Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal and made available by Kola Olabisi, the Osun APC Media and Information Director to journalists in Osogbo, the Party revealed
The Osun State Government in a statement signed by the Spokesperson to the state governor, Olawale Rasheed on Friday disclosed that Adeleke was ready to pay the arrears of promotions alongside March salaries, citing that as the reason for the delay in the payment of March salaries of government workers in the state.
The statement also explained that the salary would be ready by Monday, March 3, 2023.
Sympathising with the state’s civil servants, the APC claimed the delay in the payment of salaries and the outright refusal of Adeleke to honour his pledge on the payment of promotion arrears have become a big issue in the state as it is on record that throughout the four-year tenure of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s administration, payment of salaries occupied a first-line charge priority attention.
Lawal who explained that his party foresaw the present predicament of the Adeleke administration hinted that it never knew that it would be so early in coming as it’s pretty difficult for anyone to give what he doesn’t possess.
“When we sounded a note of warning concerning the issue at stake a few days ago, some political jobbers would not allow us to breathe with an unsubstantiated allegation that we were playing a dirty politics with the Adeleke administration’s financial conundrum.
“It is not that we are totally disappointed with the prevailing situation of the financial status in Osun State as no miracle can be expected from someone who has no history of doing any business in his life except his absolute dependence on hand-out and stipend from his big brother which qualifies him for being an irredeemable sluggard.
“We are happy that we have been vindicated in our estimation that Adeleke is not endowed with the required qualities to successfully paddle the canoe of the administration of this state to stardom.”
Responding to the backlash by the APC, the Osun Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Caretaker Chairman, Akindele Adekunle warned that no amount of cheap rhetorics will wash away the records of the erstwhile ruling party in terms of the welfare of workers in the state.
Adekunle who said the APC failed woefully in the latest attempt to pose as a friend of the workers, pointed out that the issue of the promotion arrears was one of the messes created by the party that Governor Adeleke is working to clear.
Dr. Akindele maintained the commitment of Governor Adeleke to pay the promotion arrears to workers as promised, explaining that the delay has nothing to do with the administration as revealed by labour leaders in a viral communication to workers.
“Is it not funny, or perhaps, absurd that the APC is now posing as an advocate for workers? This was the same party that made workers go through hell in the years it was in the helms of affairs in the state out of deliberate wickedness.
“The mistake the APC made was to think workers in the state have a short memory and will fall for its cheap antics going by their terrible experience while it was in charge. If the APC was this concerned about workers, the question is, why exactly did the welfare of workers suffer so badly under its watch?
“Of a truth, the Governor Adeleke administration intends to pay the arrears along with March salary but it couldn’t happen due to errors computation and reconciliation in salary records as attested to by Labour leaders in a message shared with their colleagues yesterday.”
Workers in the state on Wednesday expressed disappointment and consternation as the alerts for the payment of their old salaries started coming in the early hours of Tuesday without the promised promotion arrears.
News Men gathered that the caretaker chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Osun State, Modupeola on Wednesday upon receipt of worker’s complaints met with the Head of Service (HOS), Ayanleye Aina to register their displeasure over the development.
During the meeting, Aina attributed the impasse to the inability of some agencies to forward their salary requests on time.
He also appealed to the state’s civil servants to bear with the government and assured that every necessary thing would have been properly perfected and promoted and the arrears paid in the April salary.
