…Says Makinde released funds for Corporation’s staff on Friday
Oyo State government has said that there was no reason to justify the industrial action embarked upon by workers of the State Water Corporation in the early hours of Monday.
The State government, which spoke through the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, said that funds for payment of the staff were released on Friday.
He disclosed that funds deducted from the emolluments of the staff of the Water Corporation have been released on Friday 12th February, 2021 after governor Seyi Makinde waded into the issues relating to the said strike.
The statement indicated that deductions from the salaries of the staff of the agency were used to pay salaries since 2016, which led to the accumulation so far.
Olatubosun hinted that immediately the governor heard about the plight of these workers, he sent a delegation to meet with their leadership and directed the payment of all the deductions on Friday.
The Commissioner added that the action of the staffers to have blocked all entrances to the State secretariat on Monday was unfair to the State government as the present administration owed no worker any salary or entitlement.
“We need to first put it on record first that this administration is owing no worker any salary or entitlement, it is also on record that deductions from the salaries of these workers were used to pay salaries from 2016, that is during the last administration, but the moment we heard about this, we have been working round the clock to find solution to the issue.
“The governor called a meeting of all concerned last week with a special team from the government side, among whom was the Accountant General who was ordered to pay the money into their account, which was done immediately.
“It is unfortunate that these people could block all the gates leading to the Secretariat this morning, it is unfair to governor Makinde who had taken their matter up and ordered payment of their money.”
All gates leading to the Agodi Secretariat were blocked on Monday morning by the staffers of the State Water Corporation Agency who were protesting the non-release of their deductions, which were made since the last administration.
