The Gubernatorial candidate of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the 2019 general elections in Oyo State, Engineer Oyedele Hakeem Alao, has tackled Governor Seyi Makinde, over his claim that the state is currently paying N11 billion as salaries to one hundred and fifteen thousand workers in the state’s payroll.
Alao, who said that people of the state deserved explanation from the governor, added that the assertion made by Makinde that the state has 115,000 people as workers came as a surprise to him.
DAILY POST recalls that Makinde had last week told participants at the Nigerian-American Business Forum in Tampa, Florida, United States that the state has 115,000 civil servants and a wage bill of N11 billion per month, which is just 1.4 per cent of the total population.
He said, “Presently, Oyo State has 115,000 civil servants and a wage bill of N11 billion per month, which is just 1.4 per cent of the total population. We can’t employ all the strong and energetic people in the state. Our job is to ensure we create opportunities that will be appealing to the private sector so they can come in and provide employment opportunities for 10 percent of the population who are presently unemployed and create more opportunities to attract further investment.”
But, the AD candidate while reacting, maintained that the governor is hereby, sued to the public court to explain where and how he got those staggering figures as against the information at the doorstep of the generality of the people of Oyo State regarding the subject.
Alao in a statement made available to DAILY POST Thursday evening insisted that Makinde has not really and practically tackled the environmental challenges facing the state as his regime has not really added anything significant to what the last administration has done.
He said, in the statement entitled, “Inflation of number of Oyo State workforce to 115,000 with monthly wage bill of N11b by Governor Makinde: Our people deserve explanation”, that as at the time the immediate past governor, Abiola Ajimobi was leaving office in May 2019, there were 100,000 workers with wage bill of N5.2b.
Alao said, “Our attention has been drawn to the claim by Governor Seyi Makinde that the number of workforce of Oyo State at the moment was 115,000 and their wage bill was N11b monthly. Governor Makinde was said to have made the statement at the Nigerian-American Business Forum held in Tampa, Florida, United States, where he had spoken to attract investments to the state.
“This assertion in the US by Governor Seyi Makinde about the state of the labour force in the state’s civil service came as a surprise and His Excellency is hereby, on his return, sued to the public court to kindly explain to us where and how he got those staggering figures as against the information at the doorstep of the generality of the people of Oyo State regarding the subject.
“As at the time the immediate past governor was leaving office in May 2019, His Excellency, Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi gave the total number of workforce in the state as 100,000 and their wage bill some N5.2b. This statement by Senator Ajimobi was even corroborated by Governor Makinde in August 2019.
“It would be recollected that Governor Makinde had, first, late last year, raised an alarm that there was a surprising increase in the wage bill of the state, a development which necessitated the staff audit carried out last year.
“The question that will agitate any sane mind is how can the number of workforce and their wage bill increased overnight by 100%. Even if the new minimum wage regime is put under consideration, the current wage bill should not skyrocket to that amount because the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage was not up to 50%. Or has Governor Makinde employed more personnel into the Oyo State Civil Service which the citizens and residents of the state did not know about?
“From investigations among the state workforce, it was discovered that the implementation of the new minimum wage was a ruse as it has had no significant effect on the take-home of some of the civil servants. How do you describe the status of a civil servant on GL 7 who was earning N40,000 before the minimum wage regime and now he is earning N46,000? So, he/she has just got an increment of N6,000. Also, as our governor has said at the American business forum that “None of our officials are allowed to solicit or receive bribes and kickbacks,” we wonder how a civil servant would not cut corners when the so-called increment has had no value on his/her income and the usual groaning is still on.
“As at the last check at the Federal Bureau of Statistics, the Oyo State Government federal allocation was N4.66b monthly excluding the direct allocation of N5.5b to local governments. It would be illogical and preposterous for Governor Makinde to claim the combined allocation of both the state and the local governments to represent that of the state.
“Furthermore, if N4.66b or thereabouts is the limit of the allocation of Oyo State from the federation account, maybe the governor is utilizing accommodation loans from a bank or banks to offset the wage bill of the state at 25 of every month. Again, if this is the facility the governor is utilizing to pay salaries, he has to be very careful so as not to run the state to a halt where there would be no meaningful developmental projects as the loans would be paid back with both the principal and the interests.
“And finally, how can our governor think investors would come to a place as filthy as our state is right now, and laden with street beggars and mentally challenged people? This administration of Engr Makinde has not really and practically tackled the environmental challenges facing the state as his regime has not really added anything significant to what the last administration has done”.
