Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State on Friday said the
economic situation in the state that led to his
administration’s inability to pay workers’ salaries was
beyond his control
He said it was heart-rending that he had found himself in the
situation which he described as a quagmire.
Aregbesola spoke with State House correspondents after
meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed-
doors at the Defence House in Abuja.
He said he was not happy the same way a head of a family
would feel when he cannot meet the needs of his family
members.
He said, “No head of the family will be happy that he cannot
feed members of the family.
“Extend that to state, it is heart-rending that I am in this
quagmire.
“But no matter how sad (I don’t want to use the word
‘depressed’), no matter how unhappy I am, the truth is that I
will not fail to say that it is a situation absolutely beyond my
control.
“I led an administration in receipt of regular allocation in
which I do my budget.
“Unfortunately, this allocation started falling in rapid form
that totally disorganised my budget and any other
arrangement.”
Aregbesola said those who want to be objective would
readily admit that the Osun State of November 2010 when
he assumed office and Osun of today are not the same.
He said people must give credit to the changes that his
administration had brought about in the state, saying the
changes were not miracles but were occasioned by
application of resources.
The governor further explained that with the unexpected and
sharp decline in revenue, his administration had a
dislocation.
The result of that dislocation, he explained, is the sad
experience.
The governor added, “Were it to be Osun alone, probably I
would not have an excuse.
“I pray it does not continue. I am not sure if there will be
any state that will actually escape from the biting effect of
the absolute sharp drop which I call economic disaster that
we are grappling with.
“Since my inauguration on November 27, 2010, I had made
it a duty to pay salary on or before 25th of every month up
until January 2014 when that became practically
impossible.
“I have been giving the same staff who today are,
regrettably and painfully, not being paid annual bonus that
we call 13th month salary. There was no demand for it. I
just felt that workers must be encouraged, they must be
inspired.
“I did that religiously and faithfully from 2010 to 2013. The
development that led to this began precisely in July when
we received the June allocation and it was short by 40
percent.
“Since then, what we have been receiving from the
Federation Account is less than the wages, personnel cost.
It is far and not mildly less.”
Aregbesola said he struggled with it till October 2014 when
there was nothing else he could do.
He said the situation was further compounded by the fact
that his government could not go to bank to borrow to pay
the wages commitment.
The governor however said that with the efforts he was
putting in place, there might be solution by month end.
“It is a sad development. I am struggling to reduce the pain
as much as possible and I am almost at the end of the
efforts I am making to ensure that by the end of this month,
I will have enough to at least meet to a large extent the
salary needs of the workers,” he declared.
www.punchng.com/news/osun-crisis-beyond-my-control-aregbesola/

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With the fourth biggest economy after China, Russia and Brazil you can't still pay common salaries

Aregbe deserve to be dragged by his beards across the streets of Oshogbo.

The crisis rocking the State is beyond your control, yet you can't throw in the towel ...


How clueless can one gets ?