Ondo Govt: How We Ensure Regular Payment of Salaries

The Ondo State Government has explained how it has been able to meet its obligations to the people and at the same time ensure regular payment of salaries of workers despite the dwindling economy.

Giving insight into the state’s earnings and expenditure, especially as it affects payment of salaries, the Commissioner for Information, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, in a chat with journalists in Akure, said what the state earn monthly is a far cry from what it expends on salaries and pensions.

Akinmade said for the month of April for instance, the state’s total earnings, including allocation from the federation account and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) was N3.2 billion, while salaries and subvention paid for the same month was N4 billon, adding that government had to look inward to provide the N800m difference.

He further mentioned that for the same month, allocation for Local Government was N1.9 billion, while the wage for the council workers was N2.6 billion. He said government had to argument that too, adding that that has been the trend for over a year.

Maintaining that what accrues to the state and local governments on monthly basis is low to what is expended on wage, Akinmade added that government also argument this on perpetual basis as there has never been a time when the state’s allocation was sufficient enough to pay salaries.

Apart from local government staff, primary school teachers, pensioners and traditional rulers get paid from the local government purse, as government directly pay the wages of state civil servants including workers in the teaching service, judiciary, pensions and subvention to parastatals.

Akinmade said the clarification became necessary because of those who are being mischievous and bandied all kind of figures as government’s allocation from the federal government”

He further said that people can ask questions to know the truth instead of misinforming the public, because “these figures are in the public domain for people to verify.

“What each state gets as allocation from the federal government is not hidden. Its not a secret thing. These figures are in the public domain and its pure mischief for anybody or group of people for that matter to continually play politics with such a sensitive issue”

The commissioner said its on record that Ondo State pays the highest minimum wage of N22,500 to civil servants in the country ,adding that despite that, the state has been able to maintain regular payment of salaries and provide dividend of democracy for other residents of the state who are not government workers.

“The government’s mega school, free school shuttle buses, mother and child hospitals , Urban renewal programmes across the state, the cocoa revolution that has just won for the state an international award with other agricultural projects, road constructions among other initiatives of the government continue to make the state a model for others in the country and the continent.“

Akinmade said government will continue to discharge it’s responsibilities to the people even, in the face of dwindling revenue, submitting that “Governor Segun Mimiko’s bond with the people is to work for them, and he will continue to do that not minding the sacrifice” .