Aregbesola In Fresh Trouble Over Unpaid Workers’ Salaries

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state has reportedly courted fresh trouble over his inability to pay workers’ salaries in the state.

According to Justice Oloyede Folahanmi, an Osun state judge, the state House of Assembly has to investigate the alleged mismanagement of the state’s financial resources by the governor and his deputy in accordance with Sections 128 and 129 of the 1999 constitution.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state

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Folahanmi, in a 30-page petition urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Amnesty International, Transparency International among others, to investigate any other person found guilty of the misappropriation, stating that there is no moral justification for their continued stay in office.

In what he described as a “deliberate mismanagement of the economy of Osun state,” further accused Aregbesola of acting in defiance of some sections of the constitution which bordered on the welfare of Osun indigenes.

“I am propelled by the desire to see the pains of my fellow human beings ameliorated and to possibly, help take away the reproach of our state as ‘a bankrupt’ and ‘a failed state’ and the desire to join hands with other like minds to help salvage the sinking ship of Osun State.

“I declare that in addition to the media-hype of Osun’s parlous financial condition, I have firsthand experience which constitutes evidence of the unfortunate situation in which Osun currently finds herself.

“Even Mr. Governor has admitted publicly, the fact that Osun is in financial quagmire and that he is clueless on how to pull her out of the doldrums. Mr. Governor’s argument that salaries can only be paid from statutory allocations is also faulty, we demand that he substantiate his claim by giving the section of the law that so provides. In any event, all funds, all allocations and all expenditures are expected to be backed by legislation, and are statutory, otherwise, they are illegal.

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“Consequently, the admitted inability of Mr. Governor and his deputy to pay pensions, salaries and allowances for periods ranging from eight to 11 months now, as a consequence of their own decision to accumulate debts beyond the capacity of the state’s internally generated revenue, whilst the very ‘ actors’ Mr. Governor and his deputy continue to enjoy their security allowances in hundreds of millions, is a violation of their oaths of office.

“Their action in this respect is as illegal as it is immoral and unconscionable. It is an evidence of their inability to discharge the functions of their office. There is therefore no legal or moral basis for their continued stay in office.

“Neglecting the welfare of members of the community under the guise of wanting to provide infrastructure, runs contrary to the teachings of Christ, the son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. The provision of infrastructures at the expense of human lives and the dignity of man is therefore repugnant to natural justice, equity, and good conscience and must be denounced as abominable. It contradicts Principle 1 of the Stockholm Conference.

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“Instead of pursuing the noble ideals enshrined in our constitution, the ideals of social order, and “ensure a just world economic order” and “universal brotherhood” Mr. Governor and his deputy are assiduously working against it, as exemplified by the cruel, and harsh debasement of pensioners and civil servants by deliberately and maliciously withholding their salaries for months, in an attempt to brow beat, subjugate to take away their God given free will, and reduce them to mindless robots, with herd mentality, devoid of the ability to take any decision for themselves and unable to assert or actualize themselves!

“To this end and for this reason I am sure other well -meaning and concerned members of the Osun community are hereby calling on honourable members of the state House of Assembly to pick up the gauntlet and redeem themselves by giving effect to the provisions of Sections 128 and 129 of the Constitution, empowering them to investigate and bring to justice, all those who have corruptly enriched themselves at the expense of Osun and her people,” the petition read according to a Vanguard report.

Recall that senator Ben Murray-Bruce recently promised to help the Osun state governor resolve its current crisis by using his wardrobe allowance to pay the civil servants in the state.

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