…stop bill increasing salary of political appointees
THE Osun Masterminds, a civil Society Organization has cautioned the State Government over industries political appointments.
According to the Executive Director of the Organisation, Prof Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli in the May edition of the state of the State address in Osogbo, on Monday, the appointments weakens the finances of the state.
The Group also challenged the state Government to publish names and portfolio of the appointees of the Government.
“We make bold to decry the indiscriminate political appointments been shared by this government and its burden on the finances of the state.
“We challenge the state government to publish the names and portfolios of the appointees of this government either as Media assistant, Special Assistants, Senior Special Assistants or special advisers.
“At a time every state government is finding all means to reduce salaries and emoluments of public office holders, it is rather unfortunate that the state government is daily churning out political appointments either to compensate or lure political adversaries and this goes to impact on the finances of the state.
“We note that positions of Special assistants, senior special assistants and personal assistants no matter the nomenclature used in describing persons so appointed are not recognized under the 1999 constitution or under the political, public and judicial office holders (Remuneration) law 2008.
“The appointments with salaries been drawn from the coffers of the state are in no way beneficial to the state nor are they rendering any documented or impacting service to the state. It therefore amounts to pilfering of the state resources to have such unspecified number of persons as Special Assistants and senior special assistants to the Governor and many of them without portfolio”, he explained.
“In the interest of the state, the Government may need to tone down the number of persons been appointed”, he advised.
Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli also lamented over insecurity has increased rapidly in the State capital, Osogbo in recent weeks. The criminal activities that ranges from people being robbed at gunpoint in popular areas of Osogbo and reports of bloody cult clashes in some other areas of the city.
The director urged the government to act quickly and also advised the government strongly against political patronage of known thugs and cultists.
”He said “Government must act immediately, to curb the growing menace of armed robbery, cultism, thuggery in the State capital while also while ensuring criminals found guilty of crimes are made to face the full weight of the law. The fight against insecurity cannot be won if politicians continue to patronize thugs and known cultists.”
Also, the group, The Osun Masterminds, TOM, has called on the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, to decline assent to a bill seeking to increase the emoluments of political office holders in the State.
Oyedokun-Alli said the bill was adding dead weight to the shoulders of Osun that is just struggling to get out of the mountain of indebtedness that it was buried under a couple of years ago.
Voice Air Media recalled that the Osun State House of Assembly in May passed a bill seeking to increase the salary of some public and political office holders.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, also said the bill will be sent to Adeleke for assent.
The salary increment bill, titled Osun State Public/Political Office Holders Reviewed Remuneration Package (Amendment No. 2) Bill 2024, was presented to the assembly on April 30.
The bill was presented to the House by Kofoworola Adewunmi, the Majority Leader and the lawmaker representing Ede North State Constituency, as a private member bill.
It was presented to the House by Kofoworola Adewunmi, the Majority Leader and the lawmaker representing Ede North State Constituency, as a private member bill.
Condemning the bill, Oyedokun-Alli said the Assembly planned to further “increase the pressure on our scarce resources at a time it should be condemning the needlessly large population of political appointments already made by the state governor.”
He said, “This is not only disappointing, as we would ordinarily expect more productive actions from a youth-dominated Assembly, it is also irresponsible.
“We call on Governor Adeleke to decline assent to this obnoxious bill as it seeks to over-burden the already over-stretched resources of our ailing State. We cannot continue to add dead weight to the shoulders of a State that is just struggling to get out of the mountain of indebtedness that it was buried under a couple of years ago.
“The Governor must say no to this bill in the interest of the people and deploy whatever resources the State has, to the welfare of workers, whose salaries have already become seriously inadequate, and the common man on the streets, who is currently struggling to survive.
“We call on Governor Adeleke to decline assent to this obnoxious bill as it seeks to over-burden the already over-stretched resources of our ailing State.”
Recalled that VOICE AIR MEDIA reports on May 5th, 2024 that Engr. Kehinde Raji (AARAJI), the founder of Aaraj Empowerment Foundation, called on Osun state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke to publish the full list of his political appointees, both names and their portfolios.
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