Workers under the banner of Osun Workers Union (OWU) have chided the state government for foreclosing the chances of paying workers palliative wage at a time Governor Adeleke had secretly obtained approval in the Supplementary Budget to spend N10billion for his office.

Recall the hope of the Osun state workers to earn special Minimum Wage to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal was dashed on Saturday when the state government sounded unequivocally that it could not embark on upward wage review in order not to repeat the half-salary regime experienced in the state during the tenure of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

In a press statement authored by the state’s commissioner for information and public enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the only support the state government could offer Osun workers at the moment is a “well-packaged transport scheme aimed at alleviating the pressure of transportation as a fall out of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.”

Alimi’s statement was a reaction to a N25,000 salary allowance news that trended over the weekend.

In the purported news, Governor Adeleke was quoted to have assured Osun workers of his government’s readiness to begin from November payment of N25,000 extra wage to the state workforce to help reduce the economic hardship.

Commenting on the development, Comrade Gabriel Adeoye bemoaned the leadership of the state government for what he termed their act of wickedness towards the state civil servants and pensioners.

Adeoye, who is the organising secretary of the Osun Workers Union, expressed the Union’s utter disappointment in Governor Adeleke, stating that unless he rescinds his decision on not to increase their salary as done by other states, the state workers would have no other option than to embark on peaceful protests.
In his words, “What is the excuse of Governor Adeleke not to increase our salary at this difficult time? In the neighbouring Oyo state, civil servants and pensioners have begun to receive N25,000 and N15,000 palliative wage respectively.

Ogun has been paying palliative support of N10, 000 to its workers since August. Same in Ekiti. Same in Lagos. Only Osun is odd out of the states. Yet, the governor has approved N10b (Ten Billion Naira) for himself in the 2023 supplementary budget.
The Governor is also yet to account for the N9billion palliative relief money the federal government gave the people of the state. Is this not sheer wickedness?”

The Union wanted Governor Adeleke to disclose to the people of the state the rationale behind the additional budget of N10billion for only his office.

They equally wanted him to account for the N9billion palliative fund received from the Federal Government since July.