Ekiti Will Never Owe Workers’ Salary Again – Fayemi

Agency ReporterNovember 13, 2018

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Public servants in Ekiti state are to henceforth receive their monthly salary without fail.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the Chief Press Secretary, (CPS) to the state Governor, Mr Olayinka Oyebode on Tuesday made the declaration at a media forum in Ado Ekiti.

According to him, the era in which civil servants are owed backlog of salaries had gone with the last administration headed by former Governor Ayo Fayose.

He said the new administration in the state does not believe workers must suffer to collect the wages they laboured for.

He said the Kayode Fayemi-led administration had started demonstrating this position with the prompt payment of October salaries to workers, saying the trend would continue every month till the end of the tenure of the present administration.

On the backlog of about five and seven month salary arrears of salary owed different category of workers by the last administration, Oyebode disclosed that efforts were already on to clear them, but with a caveat that they would be settled installmentally and in batches.

He blamed Fayose for embarking on meaningless white-elephant projects that had no direct relevance on the welfare of the people, especially workers, while abandoning prompt payment of salaries.

” Henceforth, there is not going to be a month civil servants in Ekiti state will not get their monthly pay

” As for those salaries the last administration owed, we are already studying files to know what is owed exactly so that government can commence process of paying, but let me make it clear that we will pay in installments, so when it comes, it will be like bonus”, he said.

He also clarified the status of the free education recently declared by Fayemi in public primary and secondary schools, saying the policy affects all form of payments, contrary to impression of some parents and school heads that it only affects education levy.

Consequently, he warned school principals and headmasters against collecting money from pupils under any guise, as doing so would amount to saboteur and illegality.

NAN reports that the CPS disclosed that already, a circular had been issued by government and sent to all schools warning all school heads against collecting fees from pupils, as anyone caught will face the consequences.

He charged parents, the media and other concerned members of the public to promptly report anyone caught collecting fees or sending children back home for non-payment of illegal money to the ministry of education for action.

On the projects left uncompleted by the last administration, Oyebode said it was not in the programme of the present administration to abandon projects of another administration, as allegedly done by former Governor Ayo Fayose on projects of past governments