Osogbo Council Workers In Dilemma Over Salary Payment

Feb 9th, 2010 | By admin | Category: Tits Bits

Workers in Osogbo Local Government Council Area of Osun State are currently at a crossroad, as it is no longer certain whether their employer (the council) could meet up with the payment of their salaries.

OSUN DEFENDER investigation at the council secretariat at Oke-Baale in the state capital showed that the monthly deduction from the council allocation by the state Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has began to tell on the council purse.

It would be recalled that the administration of Chief Bisi Akande created a joint account for the local government in the state with a view of taking care of zero allocation in some council areas at that time.

However, when Oyinlola took over the mantle of leadership of the state in 2003, he embarked on regular deductions from the council funds in the joint allocation account.

Findings revealed that the amount of money that was remitted to the council from the joint allocation account was N22 million, while the council currently owed some banks about N25million.

Many council areas in the state including Osogbo have been borrowing from banks to enable them meet the task of paying the workers’ salaries.

Faced with the problem of paying salaries, the council chairman instructed the Director of Finance (DF) to prepare half salary vouchers for the workers for the month of January.

The workers however disagreed with the arrangement, believing that it was aimed at short-changing them, as they do not know where and how to claim the balance.

They (workers) then suggested that the council should commence payment of salaries in arrears.

Instead of paying in arrears, the council boss in conjunction with the HLA and DF insisted that the council would only pay half salaries and mandated that workers must cooperate with the council’s arrangement.

Suspecting a foul play, the workers resisted the arrangement, believing that it would be to their (workers) disadvantage to collect half salary since this was not done in any part of the state or the nation.

The council heads, instead of dialoguing with the aggrieved workers, resorted to intimidation of workers, who they believed were inciting others against the arrangement and such officers were queried.

Reports made available to the medium showed that the council branch of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) is getting set for a battle with the council, having intimated the council boss of its members’ resolution on the half salaries.

A member of the union confided in OSUN DEFENDER that the situation also affected the various political office holders in the council, including the council boss, Mr. Teslim Igbalaye.

The source however added that public office holders know the way they tackle financial issues, against career officers, who the source claimed were at the politicians’ mercy.

Speaking further, the source stated that the troubled council chairmen in the state knew that the amount Oyinlola has been deducting from the monthly allocation is outrageous, but could not react due to the illegal privilege they have been enjoying as council bosses in the state.

Findings showed that the situation is the same across the council areas in the state, as some council workers were not even certain of getting their take-home pay.

It would be recalled that the Osogbo council workers, late last year, protested the non-payment of their accumulated bonuses, holding the chairman to ransom, only to be rescued by a team of policemen and rough-looking thugs.

Indications at the council secretariat showed that a workers’ crisis is imminent at the council, as top officials have been mandated to commence the witch-hunting of workers perceived to be stubborn and impeding the successful implementation of the half salary scheme.

By shina abuabakar

Most Commented Posts

Tags: , ,

One comment
Leave a comment »

  1. Babamatto February 9th, 2010 6:23 pm :

    This is funny! How can one describe this? The workers that were jubilating for their success in “rigging out” Chief Bisi Akande seven years ago are now shouting on the government they called “God sent”! What an irony of life! I reserve my other comments.

Leave Comment