By Ayodele Oni
Ondo state Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Monday rekindled the hope of Public Servants. He declared that he will not leave unpaid salaries for his successor after his eight years in office.
Governor Akeredolu said he had vowed not to owe workers’ salary since the inception of his administration, noting that the Covid-19 pandemic affected the finance of the state badly and hindered regular payment of salaries.
The Governor, who gave the assurance at the Ondo State Health Summit, in Akure said efforts were being made at the national level to address financial crisis affecting payment of salaries and meeting other obligations.
At present, workers in the state are being owed about six months salary arrears, Local Government workers are yet to be paid September till date while tertiary institutions are being owed months of salary arrears.
Opposition People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) had, last week, flayed the inability of Government to meet its obligations to workers, alluding that Christmas might be bleak for them.
Mr Akeredolu noted that his administration inherited seven months unpaid salaries, saying all salary arrears presently owed workers in the State would be paid.
“I am glad to inform you that we made giant strides in all of these areas. Unfortunately, COVID-19 pandemic came in the third year into our first term with its attendant economic crisis which has since put governments across the world in financial strait jackets.
“Notwithstanding the precarious situation we inherited in 2017, you will recall that we had settled six of the seven months arrears of salaries.
“We will, therefore, spare no effort in promptly attending to your welfare. The current issues relating to salary payment are receiving our attention even at the national level.
“We are working hard to ensure that our State is better funded and supported without delay in order to deliver on our constitutional responsibility to our people.
“We employed and have continued to employ qualified personnel for our primary, secondary and tertiary health care facilities.
“We equally brought in several containers of hospital equipment worth billions of naira from the United States.
“Again, we established Teaching Hospital Complexes in both Akure and Ondo city as well as the Contributory Health Insurance Commission among other achievements that are well known to most of our health sector practitioners in the State.
“It is trite knowledge that no government anywhere in the world can claim to have done or achieved it all, especially within the context of a changing world and within the perspective of the theme of this summit.
“It is for this and many other reasons that the decision to focus on the challenges facing our health care delivery system as a government is well thought out.”
Governor Akeredolu assured further that the administration would not vacillate in its determination to ensure that the people and residents of the State are duly vaccinated against the deadly virus.
“To this end, we shall continue to enforce the deadline already issued for everybody in this State to be vaccinated or forfeit the privileges from government such as entrance to public places and access to certain services, among others.”
