The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, yesterday, raised an alarm over the N700 million budget for the second term inauguration of Osun state governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola. Informationng.com reports.
In a public statement issued by the Director of Media and Strategy for the Senator Iyiola Omisore governorship campaign in Osun State, Dr. Diran Odeyemi, the party said N700 million for the swearing-in ceremony “amid hunger by workers, who have not been paid salary in the last three months tells much about the kind of leaders holding the reigns in Osun at the moment.”
The party recalled that in November 2012, Aregbesola told some bankers in the state that he “can pay workers salary every 25th day of the month without monthly allocation from the federation account and I will not owe them a penny”, but expressed regret that just two years after boasting to the bankers, the workers in the state has been owed for months at different times, even when statutory allocations due to the state are paid regularly by the Federal Government.
The Aregbesola administration earlier this month blamed non-payment of salaries on the federal government, saying the FG reduced funds accruable to states from the federation account, ‘based on the spurious allegation of drop in the sales of crude oil.’
It will be recalled that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was re-elected as governor of the state after he won in the August 9, 2014 gubernatorial election. He is due to be inaugurated for another term on Thursday, November 27 2014.
His opponent in the election, Senator Iyiola Omisore of the PDP went on to file a petition before the state elections tribunal in Osogbo, the state capital. Omisore also recently claimed that his life was in danger concerning the August 9 election the state capital.