By Laja Thomas & Gbenga Akinwunmi

ABEOKUTA—GOVERNOR Olugbenga Daniel of Ogun State has said the government may not be able to pay the proposed N18, 0000 minimum wage for the workers in the Gateway state due to the inability of the government to obtain the proposed N100 billion bond.

Daniel who lamented the implications of the poor economic climate on the state, said the state might find it difficult to pay the proposed minimum wage due to the failure of the State House of Assembly to approve the proposed bond.

The Governor made the declaration yesterday at the State Stakeholders’ Forum where he pleaded with the State House of Assembly not to hinder the progress of the state.

At the forum where over 2,000 participants were present, including  government officials and traditional rulers, Daniel said it would take a financial miracle from God for the state to embark on meaningful developmental projects.

According to him, “the newly approved minimum wage of N18,000 by the Federal Government has not even appeared on our expenditure radar . Let me however say this, no matter how unpalatable it may be, Ogun State, under the economy crunch it is presently experiencing, will not be in any position to implement any of these increments. Except a financial miracle occur very soon.

He added that out of the N3bn income of the state, the government was expending a total of N2.2bn on the salaries and allowances

Speaking on his State of the State address, which he titled: ‘Squeezing Water Out Of Rock’, he said. “as a State we should be proud of our trail-blazing efforts. Before, it used to be in education where we still maintain our leading role. Now, our effort at utilizing the competence and expertise of professionals within the public service in the State has become the role model for other States in Nigeria. It was after our OGROMA came on board that the Federal Government of Nigeria introduced its own Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, on Nigeria roads.

“But, I must be quick in letting you know that, if something is not done, immediately, we may, sooner than expected, lose not only what we have gained over the last seven years, but also, miss future opportunities. As I speak to you, our State is bending under the burden of satisfying its immediate financial needs due to the dwindling financial resources. But it is also shocking to see that our efforts at rescuing the situation through securing of a long-term financial instrument, popularly referred to as “Bond” is now generating uneducated arguments and bigoted criticism from quarters that one hardly expected. Some of the arguments have been why now that the administration is almost winding-up, who and who will pay the debt to be left behind, and so on, that one gets bemused at the rate and seriousness that our people talk about the bond issue.”