THE Ondo State Government has refuted claims of owing workers salaries, affirming that the January 2024 salary was disbursed to employees promptly.
Ebenezer Adeniyan, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, clarified this stance in response to an interview where Mr. Tope Fasua, an aide in the office of the Vice President, purportedly suggested otherwise.
The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to an interview on The Morning Brief on Channels Television, Thursday morning, by Mr. Tope Fasua, an aide in the office of the Vice President, in which he erroneously claimed that Ondo State Government is owing its workforce six months salary arrears.
“It is unfortunate that a Presidential aide whose duties centre on economic affairs would go on national TV to reel out unverified information. It is more disturbing that Mr. Fasua, who is from Ondo State, could not reach out to any official of the State Government to get the facts and figures he needed for such interview.
“Although Mr. Fasua has since admitted his error and apologised, it is imperative to make this clarification for members of the public who may have been misled by those false claims.
“The government of Ondo State IS NOT OWING ANY salary arrears to workers. The January 2024 salary was paid to workers, on time.
“The Ondo State Government has not only paid workers’ salary up to date, it has also been paying wage award of N35, 000 monthly to all categories of workers and N10,000 wage award to retirees as part of its measures to mitigate the effects of fuel subsidy removal.
“The false claim of Mr. Fasua was the situation of the State when the administration of Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu took charge in 2017, meeting seven months arrears of unpaid salaries. That administration paid six out of the seven months.
“Within one month in office, Governor Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa paid the outstanding one month (January 2017). Not only that, the Governor also paid N1.2b arrears as part of gratuity owed retirees.
“Members of the public should therefore note that the government of Ondo State is not owing workers and Governor Aiyedatiwa shows commitment to the welfare of workers and retirees in the State.