*We paid salaries with 10% bonus – Govt

*We received no alert – Workers

By Daud Olatunji

ABEOKUTA – In what was termed a bleak Yuletide for civil servants in Ogun State, following the alleged failure of the state government to pay their December salaries, hope seems to be lurking around for the workers, as the government, Tuesday, said it has paid the said salaries with a 10 per cent bonus.

Even though as at the time of filing this report, the Chairman, Public Service Joint Negotiation Council, Abiodun Olakanmi was still insisting he was unaware that the State government had paid the workers, in a swift reaction, the state government clarified that only Lagos and Ogun states have paid December salaries alongside with bonus.

Salary imbroglio

A mild drama however played out Tuesday at the governor’s office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, when the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Taiwo Adeoluwa Adeoluwa and Olakanmi were seen trading words at a press conference convened by the state government over the salary imbroglio.

The SSG, who led other officials including Chief of Staff to the governor, Ganiyu Olatunde; Commissioner for Finance, Kemi Adeosun and her counterpart in the Information ministry, Yusuph Olaniyonu, to address newsmen over the issue had said that government had paid the December Salary of all civil servants, contrary to an interview earlier granted by Olakanmi.
He added that Olakanmi was just being mischievous and wrongly informing the public over the development.

However, when Olakanmi who joined them at the press conference was asked to confirm the claim, he swiftly refuted the claim, saying, as far he was concerned, none of his members had received any alert.

According to Olakanmi “I am just hearing this for the first time, and for anybody to say I am being mischievous, that is not correct. I still maintain my position on the radio interview granted in the morning, I am not aware of any salary payment.”
In a dramatic turn, government secretary took the microphone and tongue-lashed Olakanmi who was accompanied by three other union officials.

In a later development, Barr. Adeoluwa at a press conference disclosed that in spite of the huge reduction in Federal Allocation, as a result of which many states have not been able to pay their workers for about three months, the Senator Ibikunle Amosun administration has painstakingly ensured the full payment of workers’ salaries.

His words: “Since July 2013, all the states in the country have been undergoing definite degree of financial uncertainties.  As at last month, 23 states were not able to pay salaries while in Ogun State, salary has never been an issue.”

Adeoluwa also applauded the governor’s investment initiatives, which he said has brought many foreign investors to the state and also enforced all dwellers in the state to remit their taxes to the state of their residence, thereby increasing the Internally Generated Revenue from which the government would be able to pay the workers without borrowing.

He pointed out that the state has never borrowed to pay workers’ salaries due to the investment initiatives of the present administration.

“I imagine what would have been the lot of the state if His Excellency had not brought investors, which has increased the IGR from N730 million to over N6 billion in the state.

Celebrating new year with smiles

The government has been working round the clock to ensure that workers celebrate the new year with smiles on their faces”, he said.

While fielding questions from journalists, the State Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun stressed that in spite of delay of the Federal Allocation for December, the state government has been able to achieve this fit through its IGR from employees of labour and tax remittance from residence who work in nearby states.

She added that the 10 percent bonus has been paid alongside with the salary, adding that the “payment of 10 percent of the basic salary has been paid along with the salary.

“Only Lagos and Ogun states have paid December salaries alongside with bonus”, she stated.