Human rights activists, some workers and the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties staged a protest on Friday to express their displeasure over the unpaid salaries of workers in Osogbo.

The protesters marched from Igbona area to Olaiya Junction where they addressed journalists.
The protest at the junction caused a traffic snarl but the presence of policemen at the scene was able to ensure orderliness.

Armed with placards with various inscriptions such as: Pay workers and pensioners their entitlements; Aregbesola, bring back our money, the protesters said they had to use June 12 Day to rally support for the workers who they described as oppressed.

The Chairman, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice, Mr. Sulaiman Alimi, said in an interview with journalists, that Govern0r Rauf Aregbesola had failed the people of the state.

He said that blaming the past government for the financial crisis in the state was an act of irresponsibility on the part of the current administration.

He called on the governor to resign, saying he should no longer continue in office since he could not find solution to the problem which he claimed was created by the governor.

He said, ” I want to say it emphatically that Governor Rauf Aregbesola has failed the people of Osun State because he created this by mismanaging the allocation which accrued to the state. This is why he has not been able to pay workers for seven to eight months.

” I am using this medium to advise Aregbesola, to resign honourably from office before he will be sent out of Osun State back to Lagos where he and his allies came from. Aregbesola has failed in running the affairs of the state and the people can no longer bear the untold hardship any longer.”

In a related development, the Osun Civil Societies Coalition which is an umbrella body of pressure groups in the state has called on the Osun State Government to devise means of paying the salaries of worker in the state civil service in the spirit of June 12 celebration.

The coalition which expressed its sympathy at the workers’ despondent condition over the nonpayment of their six-month salaries stated that it would be cruel and ungodly to celebrate June 12 when the masses are hungry in the state.

The Publicity Secretary of the coalition, Mr. Ismaeel Uthman, said this in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Friday.

He stated that hunger and poor health ravaging the state workers were undeniable as a result of the nonpayment of their salaries.

Uthman said, ” We sympathize with the workers in Osun state over their unpaid salaries; we acknowledged how difficult life has been for them because some of the members of the coalition are in the state civil service. We know life has not been easy at all.

“We dedicate this year June 12 to the Osun workers; to specially call on Governor Rauf Aregbesola to timely find solution to the nonpayment of the workers’ salaries. A hungry man is an angry man and there is no appeal for someone that is hungry. Aregbesola should act fast before hunger leads to death.”

The governor had earlier denied the allegation of insensitivity and financial recklessness being leveled against him over the salary issue.

He said, ” This administration remains very sensitive to the welfare of Osun workers. The financial situation of that has made it unable for the state government to pay workers’ salary is disheartening and painful.

“However, no one can establish a single instance of recklessness on the part of this government.
“Those who want to accuse Aregbesola of not thinking enough on how to generate more funds should also ask how his government was able to raise IGR from N300m to N1.5bn in a spate of four years.

“One major thing common to most of the commentators asking Aregbesola to resign is that they are not ready to place what is happening side-by-side the state of Osun before the Aregbesola administration and where Osun is today in terms of the physical infrastructure.”

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