From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo.
Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Alhaja Monsurat Sunmonu, has described as ‘wicked and spurious’’ rumours milling round that
delay in the payment of workers’ salary for the month of December last year was intentional and that it was a clear testimony of the state government’s unfavourable disposition to welfare of the workforce.
Sunmonu dismissed the insinuations in Oyo town, at a meeting held with members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers [NUT] from the four local governments that constitute Oyo Federal Constituency.
She said delay was due to dwindling financial allocations from the federation accounts which the Federal Government attributed to oil glut, but in the real sense of it was politically motivated.
According to her, “it is unfortunate that many people lack that sense of commitment to truth, let alone stand by that commitment. They defecate all sorts of lies and baseless rumours to assassinate their opponents’ characters and destabilise the society or state in the name of politics. These feeble-minded elements fail to understand that the quest for truth is the ultimate objective of human life, and the quest includes stiffest opposition to falsehood in all its ramifications’’.
She described Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the most worker-friendly governor in the political history of the state whose administration is based on the courage of convictions, and the promotion of visionary ideas
about the future greatness, as well as improvement in the total physical and moral condition of the state.
“President Goodluck Jonathan openly confessed recently during his campaign rally in Lagos that Federal workers are owed three months salaries. Whereas in Oyo State, the present administration since it
came to power about three and a half years ago had never owed workers any month salary. We are also the first administration in the state to pay 13th month salary to our workforce every year. This is coupled with myriads of landmark and unprecedented achievements that cut across all sectors, including health, education, roads, rural electrification, free bus rides system, reformation of local government administration, pensioners’ welfare scheme, massive empowerment of the informal sector and intensive rural development.’’
Sunmonu, who is also the All Progressive Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Oyo Central, hinted that, until recently, the state government was receiving a little above N4 billion from the Federation Account which was spent on workers salary, adding that the allocation
has dropped to a little above N2 billion, thus resulting in short delay of payment of salary which will soon be overcome.
Said said: “The country is witnessing widespread conflicts and disturbances because there is lack of strong moral foundation, and a leadership without moral courage. This is why every good citizen of this country is yearning for change of leadership in the affairs of this great country. We have a President hat lacks moral courage, let alone possesses superior moral qualities necessary for proper guardianship of a human society not to talk of a country’’.
