Aregbesola Promises Enhanced Welfare Packages For Teachers

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has again disclosed that the purpose of his government is to cater for the welfare and well-being of the people.

Aregbesola stated this at a meeting held with the Conference of Principals of secondary schools and head teachers of all elementary schools in the state.

The governor observed that since the inception of his administration, he has continuously put in place programmes and policies that have brought poverty to its barest minimum and boost the economic base of the vast majority.

He stated that his vision and mission for the state is to arrest the mismanagement of affairs of the people inherited from the past administration.

According to the governor, people are the wealth and capital of politicians and so they are the targets around which government is centred.

“A responsible government has people at the centre of its policies. We are not in government but to make sure that the welfare of the people gets better by the day.

“Our government was able to survive the economic impasse brought about by injurious reduction in the federal allocation following the sacrifice for not forming cabinet for 10 months and not being frivolous with the excess crude, offering us opportunity to save about N5 billion,” Aregbesola said.

Appealing to the teachers to further make sacrifice in the interest of the state, the governor announced despite the not-too-encouraging revenue accruing to the coffers of government, the administration still managed to sponsor some principals of secondary schools to Tanzania for a workshop between 2012 and 2013.

He refuted the rumours that government will sack workers, saying when he came to the office in 2010 he was pressured to sack but he refused.

The governor, who said there is a grand plan to stifle the state with allocation until after the election, assured the teachers that his government will pay salaries as at and when they fall due with or without payment of allocation, adding that “I need your support; I need your understanding; I need your commitment to ensure a better state for all.”

Earlier in his remark, the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, who doubles as the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Saka Adesiyan, highlighted some of the gray areas the teachers are desirous of government’s quick intervention.

The Labour leader listed contributory pension, special subvention for teachers in rural areas and international seminars and workshops as some of the areas needing urgent government attention.

Adesiyan noted that the interactive session with the government was an opportunity to disabuse the minds of some people, who are insinuating that the teachers do not support Aregbesola’s second term bid.

Adesiyan also commended the governor for paying salaries as well as 2014 leave bonus despite the shortfall in allocation.