by Kolapo Olapoju
According to Ayo Fayose, the immediate past governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi, is responsible for the unpaid salaries of Ekiti state workers.
During his monthly media chat, “Meet Your Governor”, governor Fayose said the financial situation of the state has made it difficult for him to pay the salary arrears he inherited from Fayemi.
The governor explained that the deductions from the allocation of the state from the bond sourced by the last administration and commercial loans obtained from banks had adversely affected the state’s finances.
He said: “I became governor on October 16 and that is two months and ten days now and I want to state categorically that I have managed the resources of the state very well.”
“Now coming here to tell the people that I will pay September salaries, no, no, I will not say that. The salaries I am paying now, I had interface with banks to give me leeway for six months to be able to arrange myself.
“If anybody is expecting me to pay September salary now, that person is deceiving himself. Where will I get from? If somebody was in office four years and he owed you two months’ salary arrears and I’ve been in office for two months and I’ve not owed salaries from the time I took office; our people should be patient.
“This government has been in office for just two months now and people are complaining, what are they complaining about? We should not be deceiving ourselves. Oil benchmark used to be $78 but it has now dropped to $62.”
Furthermore, Fayose stated that he could not disregard the needs of other sectors, in favour of paying the salaries of workers.
He said: “Fayose loves you all but I will not sell my house or children to pay salaries. Since my coming to power, I have been paying deductions and I have ensured water supply to Ikoro, Ijero, Moba and we are closer to Aramoko and Iyin. Some people will say ‘abandon other sectors and pay our money’, but are we going to leave health, water, education and other sectors?”
