BY Taiwo Adebulu
Alfred Adegoke, governorship candidate of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) in Osun, says he will set up a panel to investigate the “mismanagement of funds” under Rauf Aregbesola, outgoing governor, if elected.
In a statement by Wole Olubanji, organising secretary of his campaign committee, Adegoke accused the governor of giving priority to phony contractors, instead of paying salaries of workers.
The governorship candidate said it was the collective struggle of workers that forced the state government to release N19.8 billion for the payment of pensioners and workers’ salaries.
The statement read: “We should not forget so quickly that the Aregbesola-APC government received N34, 988, 990, 000.00 (N34.9 billion) from the federal government in December 2015 specifically for the purpose of clearing backlog of workers and pensioners’ arrears, but diverted it to other selfish purposes other than clearing those arrears or paying full salaries.
“It was the resolve of Osun workers to embark on sustained strikes and fear of the imminent APC’s defeat in the Osun governorship election that forced Aregbesola to now suddenly prioritise payment of a few backlog of arrears and commencement of full payment of salaries to workers for the month of August.
“It is laughable that Aregbesola should think that after starving workers and retirees lies into needless financial crisis and sorrow for so long, for no justifiable reason, the people of Osun would easily forget the callousness of the government towards them with such a grotesque show of compassion.
“If elected as governor in the September 22 election, I shall ensure that the people of Osun themselves, through a democratic probe panel drawn from the organised labour and communities, investigate the gross mismanagement of Osun’s funds under the Rauf Aregbesola’s government.
“My government shall mobilise immediate resources to offset all arrears of salaries, pensions and allowances. I and my party, SPN, will effect financially-backed promotion in the civil service and democratise government decision making process.”
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