The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, says Osun State is dying as it is paying so much on workers’ salaries without generating revenue.
Addressing newsmen in Iwo yesterday at the Engr Ademola Adedapo’s annual secondary schools’ quiz competition, Oluwo said unless the Osun civil service was overhauled, the state might find it difficult to pay salaries.
The monarch urged the state government to increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to improve the fortune of the state.
He said: “We’ve a problem in Osun and we’ve to shout and tell the world that we’re sick in Osun. It’s just the truth I’m telling you. We need to upgrade and update our civil service to be IT-compliant and we’ve to create a way to find other jobs for them in the civil service.
“With what’s going on in Osun, we don’t have the money. I’m in this government and it doesn’t matter because I’m a traditional ruler. I’ve to be concerned on how government can succeed.
“We’ve so many workers for some jobs. I’m not telling them to retrench, but government should find some ways out of this situation. How much is the allocation of Osun State in a month? Can it pay the wage bill or salary? Civil servants themselves should be more creative. Civil service is the largest employer of labour in this state and the IGR is nothing. We need to create more IGR.
“Osun is dying. The state is paying so much money and not making money. People have to pay tax and there should be more ways of ensuring the payment of informal taxes. There are many incomes being generated through informal sector and is not coming to the government.”
Responding, Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Festus Olajide, said the Oluwo had “not minced words in telling the truth.”
He said the quiz competition had brought out test and measurement in terms of performance of students in public schools.
