Ondo State workers have threaten to go on strike over months of unpaid salary, arrear of 20 per cent of October 2016, full salaries of November and December 2016 as well as January 2017 salary following reports that the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu allegedly made a donation of N2.27 billion into the campaign fund of the APC governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
This was made known in a Bulletin issued by the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) and signed by its Chairman, Comrade Abel Oloniyo.
Rising from an emergency meeting on Thursday, June 21, 2018, the unions in the Public Service of Ondo State, the workers demanded for a meeting with Governor Akeredolu on Monday, June 25, failure of which they threatened to embark on industrial action.
The unions said it was disheartening that Governor Akeredolu had not deemed it fit to discuss the welfare of the workers with the accredited union leaders despite series of efforts put in place by the union leaders to him for audience.
The Bulletin Read: “The unions in the Public Service rose from an emergency meeting on Thursday 21st June, 2018 where other issues like 2018 promotion, arrears of 20% of October 2016 salary, full salaries of November, December, 2016 and January 2017 and deduction were discussed.
“Four months salaries of Local Government workers, 15 per cent of September 2016, full salaries of October, November, December, 2016 and January 2017 are still outstanding despite the increase in federal allocation to the State, not to mention IGR that have accrued to the State in recent time, the statement added. ”
In a similar development, the Bring Back Our Light Group (BBOL) in Ondo South who have been in the forefront to restore electricity to four affected councils in Ondo south, have also berated the governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akerdolu over the alleged donations of 2.27bn to the campaign fund of Dr. Kayode Fayemi at a time four local governments in Ondo south including the oil producing communities were put into darkness for the past four years now by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over allegation of indebtedness that is less down N100M allegedly leveled against the four affected local governments.
The Convener of the group who spoke to our correspondent, pastor Olumide Akinrinlola, said it is very sad and regrettably lugrubious if indeed such amount of money was released from the state coffer to support the campaign fund of Dr. Fayemi, the APC gubernatorial candidate in Ekiti State at a time four local governments in Ondo south including the oil communities were in total darkness over alleged indebtedness lesser down N100M.
Pastor Akinrinlola alleged that the governor was among the few politicians who used the agony of the peoples (blackouts) in Ondo south to campaign in the last gubernatorial election in the state.
“Our governor was among the few politicians who used this blackouts to garnish support of our people in the last election. He promised to restore electricity to us after 3 months in power as governor of the state. He used our agony to campaign and our people massively voted for him as the governor. By my calculations, the government of Akeredolu should be closed to two years now, but the opposite of his word is true. Till now, we are still in darkness. The government has not kept his promise to our people. It is sad and regrettably lugubrious if indeed it is true that the governor dip hands into the state treasury and donated over 2bn into the campaign fund of Dr. Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti State”, Akinrinlola said.
The BBOL convener also alleged that government of Akeredolu has lost touch with the peoples of Ondo State, saying that, N807M OSOPADEC fund was allegedly approved for mere rehabilitation of jetty and wooden walkways for Ilaje and Ese Odo local governments respectively even at a time residents of the two communities were crying for help for the restoration of electricity back to their areas.
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