Ekiti State Government has cleared the air on its indebtedness to workers in the State, saying only May 2015 salary was being owed by the Governor Ayodele Fayose-led government.
Reacting to reports in some newspapers that workers in Ekiti State were being owed three months salary, Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said; “As at today, the only salary yet to be paid by the Fayose-led is that of May
2015.”
He noted that the immediate past All Progressives Congress (APC) government of Dr Kayode Fayemi refused to pay August and September, 2014 salary despite receiving federal allocation for the months of August and September that ought to have been used to pay August and
September salary.
He however added that; “the Fayose-led government has already cleared the August 2014 salary left unpaid by the APC government, leaving that of September that will be paid as soon as there is improvement in the State finances.”
On the May salary being owed, the governor’s aide said; “Allocation of May that was received was not enough to pay salary, leaving the government with the option of waiting for June allocation that is expected to be released next week and the moment that is done, workers
will get their May salary.”
Speaking further, Olayinka said; “It is also important to point out that apart from the shortfall in the allocation coming to the State from the federation account; the gross mismanagement of the State finances by the immediate past APC government is responsible for the present parlous state of the State finances.
“As at the time we assumed office, unpaid Bank loan was N15, 831,613,425.62 while outstanding payment from the N25bn bond was N26, 749,796,784.75, making N42.6bn debt from bank loans and bond alone! N21, 286,126,749 was outstanding payment to road contractors while N5, 137,888,224.37 was outstanding emoluments to State Public Servants.
“The State was able to meet up with payment of salary because of the six months moratorium gotten from financial institutions from which the immediate past government obtained loans.
“Painfully, these credit facilities were used to execute income-generating projects, and the repercussion of the financial recklessness of the past administration is the parlous economic
situation of the State now.
“However, with the cooperation of the people, especially the workers, the government will continue to strive to rescue the State from the financial predicament that it was plunged into by the immediate past government.”