Plot To Cripple Our Government Before Poll Through Allocation Will Fail – Aregbesola

Staff June 28, 2014

‎The Governor of the State of Osun Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday evening said the plot of the Federal government to cripple his administration before the August 9 election in the state through the statutory monthly allocation will fail.

The governor while answering questions during the 8th edition of “Gbangbadekun” a state government public interactive feedback programme in Ijebu-Jesa Oriade North Federal Constituency, said, aside from the drastic drop in the allocation, plans are underway to stop it temporarily to the state.

He accused the federal government of Nigeria of a deliberate attempt to weaken the federating units especially the states where the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) is ruling, by ways of not making funds available to them for political reasons.

Aregbesola held that, despite the falling allocation , his administration will continue to pay the workers regularly.

According to him, “federal government aside from the drop in the allocation has devised a means to cripple our government before the August election by not giving us the statutory monthly allocation.

“Though the allocation aside from the drop has not been coming on time, the allocation for the Month of May only came yesterday, even before it came we have paid the May salary of our workers.

“Let me tell you that their are plans by the Federal government not to release the allocation of the coming months before the election so as to cripple our government, thinking that we will not be able to pay workers salary. I want to tell you that they have failed because we will device means of paying our workers”. The governor told the crowd.

‎He assured the people of the State of Osun that his administration will never sack any worker despite the falling allocation from the federation account.

According to him “my pact with God and the people of the state of Osun is not to sack any worker, if we can retain the glaring enemy, why are we going to sack workers who never offend us or neglect their job. Those peddling such rumour are ignorant or mischievous”.

 The programme was attended by over 60 traditional rulers in Ijesa North Traditional Council.

Aregbesola said but for his administration’s final ingenuity,  the state would have experienced what many other states of the federation are experiencing in forms of salary cuts, three to four months delay in salaries.

The governor said it was gratifying that opposition candidates have not found it possible to accuse his government of not deliverying on life changing programmes noting that all they could do is to attempt to discredit the various achievements.

“But the good people of Osun have seen through the various lies they carry about. Our style of governance cannot be compared with any other in Nigeria. We have demonstrated it’s possible to make a modern state of our own territory.

On the four state owned tertiary institutions striking lecturers, the governor said as a government, his administration has offered the best to the workers saying the state lacked the financial capacity of the close to N90 billion pension fund they are requesting for and urged the stakeholders in the state to appeal to the lecturers in the general interest of the people.

The governor also assured the people of Ipetu-Ijesa that the Osun State University Education College in Ipetu will not only remain but equally upgraded to  an aviation school contrary to the relocation rumour.

He assured the people of Imesi Ile, Esa Oke, Ira of the completion of their roads and building of new elementary, middle and high school in their various communities.

The royal fathers who pledged their support for the governor on behalf of their community while speaking at the programme include the Akeji of Ikeji-Ile, Olura of Ira Ikeji, Oba Julius Olukayode, and Oba Felix Taiwo Aribisala, the Elekuruu of Ijebu- Ijesa represented by Odofin of Ijebu Ijesa, High Chief Olutola.

The Owamiran of Esa- Oke Oba Akanbi Adediran said Osun election will never be like that of Ekiti, “we are grateful people, we are strongly behind the governor, and I urge the people to also replicate the good gesture of the governor by voting him in August 9.

The monarch also expressed concern over the low pace at which the contractor handling the Otan-Ile, Esa-Oke to Ijebu -Jesa and urged the governor to liaise with the contractor on how to fast track the road project.