Hon. Bayo Adeleke, ex-Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Osun State has faulted the delay in the payment of the salaries of civil and public servants in Osun State by Governor Ademola Adeleke.
This was made known by the former commissioner in a programme, ‘Oro Oselu’ on an Osogbo-based Rave FM Radio monitored in Osogbo, the state capital yesterday.
He stated that there was no justification for the delay in the payment of the Osun State government workers’ salaries as the immediate-past Governor Gboyega Oyetola-led administration had appropriated the money for the salaries about ten days before the end of its tenure.
It would be recalled that for the past four years during the tenure of former Governor Oyetola, salaries of the government workers were promptly paid as and when due.
Banik disclosed during the programme that the schedule for the payment of the November salaries had since been sent to the office of the State Accountant-General more than one week before the end of the life of the last administration.
The former state commissioner for the local government stated that the administration of Oyetola should not be held responsible for the delay in the payment of the salaries but Adeleke and the Accountant-General.
He recalled that payment of workers’ salaries during the tenure of Oyetola was always occupying a first-line charge because of the humane nature and administrative dexterity of the former governor.
It would be recalled that the state Accountant-General, Mr Rasheed Olalere Alabi, bolted away from his office, remained incommunicado and refused to pick the telephone calls of the immediate-past governor and those of the principal members of the past government since about ten days to the end of the last administration.
It was learnt that the state Accountant-General preferred to take directives from the governor-elect even when Oyetola had the constitutional backing to operate unhindered till November 26, 2022 midnight.
Banik explained that he saw no reason why Governor Adeleke should be romancing the already signed workers’ salaries with sufficient money left in the kitty to pay the salaries of both the civil and public servants.
He stated that it was only wickedness, insensitivity and inconsideration that could only be making Governor Adeleke to delay the payment of the November salaries.