Salary arrears: Ekiti applies for FG’s fresh bail-out

Civil servants in Ekiti State may have
cause to smile soon, as the state government has
applied for the bail-out recently introduced by the
Federal Government.

This, according to the state government would
complement its efforts at prudently managing the
resources of the state to meet the expectations of
all Ekiti people.

Briefing newsmen after the Executive Council
meeting presided over by Deputy Governor
Kolapo Olusola, the Commissioner for Finance,
Chief Toyin Ojo said the Ayodele Fayose-led
administration in the state has not only met all
conditions necessary to access the fund, but had
also taken all necessary steps to benefit from the
fresh plan by the FG to ameliorate the financial
conditions of state governments.

Ojo therefore called on public servants in the state
who are currently on strike to return to their duty
posts and remember that Fayose’s love for civil
servants and Ekiti people in general remained
firm.

Also speaking with newsmen, the Commissioner
for Justice, Mr Owoseni Ajayi frowned at the fresh
attempt by the Presidency and some of its
agencies to harass, intimidate and threaten
officials of the state government over issues long
determined and settled by the Supreme Court.

“We condemn in strong terms alleged threat,
intimidation, harassment and embarrassment of
officials of the state government by agents of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
the Department of State Service (DSS) and even
The Presidency over issues already settled by
Supreme Court.

“The allegations are to coerce the people of the
state and they should note that the government
was popularly elected by the people of the state
about two years ago and the All Progressives
Congress (APC) which was defeated then went
through all llegal processes to challenge the
election and lost.

“They are doing all this because Fayose is the only
voice of the opposition in the country and that is
permissible under democracy and when Dr
Goodluck Jonathan was the President, former
Governors Kayose Fayemi, Rotimi Amaechi and
Babatunde Fashola criticized him and they were
not harassed or intimidated. To use state
apparatus to harass anybody will be resisted. What
Fayose is saying is assisting the government and
the people of Nigeria in general,” he said.
APC to gov: Save workers from untimely deaths
Meanwhile, APC in the state has called on
Governor Ayodele Fayose to pay Ekiti workers to
stop untimely deaths among them.

The party said misinforming the public on the state
debts profile to justify non-payment of salaries for
five months is a “callous conduct by the governor
who brands himself the friend of workers. Six
workers in the state were reported dead in recent
times over handicap in paying their medical bills.”

Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a
statement that the sad development was avoidable
if the governor had made the welfare of workers a
priority of his administration as promised during
campaign.