The All Progressives Congress 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 is glaring that the wage bill of the state is 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 is 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.”