Barely three days to the inauguration
of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu as the governor of Ondo State, it is obvious
that the new administration is set to confront several challenges facing
the state. One of the obvious challenges that may confront the new
government is the crisis engulfing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
dominated house of assembly.
The crisis started when a group of lawmakers impeached Mrs. Jumoke Akindele as speaker of the assembly over financial scandal. Following the crisis, the police who sealed off the assembly complex in Akure, the Ondo State capital insisted it would only reopen the place if the two factions are able to resolve their differences.
About two weeks ago, Akeredolu met with Olusegun Mimiko the outgoing governor in the state on the crisis in the assembly. It is expected that the major priority confronting the incoming administration is how to resolve the resolve the crisis which has hindered Mimiko from presenting the 2017 budget to members for approval before handing over the reign of administration.
While Akeredolu is preparing for a smooth take over this Friday, a group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Progressives Youths League (CPYL), Ondo state chapter has urged the Governor-elect, to give 10 percent of his appointments to the youths between ages 18 to 35 years.
Mr. Adebowale Akinlosotu, state coordinator of CPYL, made the demand while speaking with journalists, shortly after ?Akeredolu’s transition Sub Committee on Youths and Sports submitted their reports to the steering committee.
He said the incoming government must start looking in the direction of how to empower and appoint some youths into leadership positions. This, he said would help the state to develop his political structures.
The incoming administration may also have to contend with the backlog of unpaid salaries and allowances of civil servants in the state. Already, members of the Association of Retired Staff of Rufus Giwa polytechnic, Owo local government area of Ondo State have appealed to the outgoing governor, Olusegun Mimiko ,to pay their pension arrears and gratuity before bowing out of office this Friday.
The retirees, who claimed they started the struggle for the payment of their pension in 2006, said the state government as at December 31, 2016 was owing them N912,727,324.85.
This it said exclude the 33 percent pension increase approved by the Federal Government in 2010.
Their complaint was contained in a press release issued and signed by the association Chairman, Rufus Oguntoyinbo and General Secretary, Steven Olufawoye shortly after its annual general meeting held at the weekend at the Polytechnic Auditorium.
The elder statesmen ?said they had met with the governor on several occasions at which they were promised that the debt will be cleared.
The association lamented that one of them died recently because he could not raise N500 to buy his regular drug.
T?hey revealed that 57 of them have reportedly died within the last three years and without receiving their gratuity, arrears or pension.
They also blamed their predicaments on the immediate past Rector of the institution, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, whom they said despite the intervention of the State Assembly in 2014, directing the institution to pay them, the rector refused to implement the report.
According to them, the Assembly directed that “management of the polytechnic should pay retirees the arrears of pension and gratuity as from 2006 to date. That management of the institution should? commences the full payment of pension to all retirees in accordance with enhanced salary from 2001 to date.
“The financial implication of placing the affected pensioners on the enhanced pension increase rate is about N600,000 per month; which we expect management to add to the monthly wage bill.
“Ajibefun who could not afford to release that amount to the monthly pension of some retirees autocratically collected ?N49, 600,000 as his gratuity at the end of his four years in office at the polytechnic.
“We are making the whole world especially the incoming administration in Ondo State to know the predicaments of the retirees of the state Polytechnic.
“From our our experience, it could be ascertained that Mimiko hand pendant hatred for the Polytechnic which adversely affected the retirees.”
Also Dr Shola Agboola, Ondo State Secretary of Alliance for Democracy (AD), has advised the incoming governor to clear the salary arrears of workers in the state. Agboola who made the statement in Lagos explained that the incoming governor enjoyed a lot of support from the people and should therefore make payment of staff salaries and other entitlement a priority.
He said, “In fact, I want to suggest that a state of emergency on the welfare of pensioners and workers be declared by the new government, considering the suffering of workers and pensioners.
“Workers who work deserve their pay. I hope that will be the first priority of the incoming administration of Akeredolu, even before constituting his cabinet.
“It is unfortunate that workers are being owed salaries for months in an oil producing state,’’ Agboola said.
He advised the governor-elect to focus on rejuvenating the agricultural sector and to return the state to the era of farm settlements.
“Akeredolu must open up rural roads for farmers to bring their produce to the cities.’’
There is no doubt that the report of the transition committee set up by the in-coming governor would give the governor a road map to how he can tackle some of the difficulties that may confront the administration.
Though Akeredolu has promised he wouldn’t probe his predecessor, pressure has been mounting on the incoming governor to take a holistic audit of the state account.
For instance, Jimoh Ibrahim, former governorship aspirant in the just concluded election while congratulating the governor-elect urged him to probe the outgoing administration of Mimiko.
Judging by the overwhelming support the new governor-elect enjoyed from the people of Ondo State during the last election, Akeredolu has no excuse for not delivering on the campaign promises. But how the incoming administration would do that in the mist of lean resources of the state, time would tell.
The crisis started when a group of lawmakers impeached Mrs. Jumoke Akindele as speaker of the assembly over financial scandal. Following the crisis, the police who sealed off the assembly complex in Akure, the Ondo State capital insisted it would only reopen the place if the two factions are able to resolve their differences.
About two weeks ago, Akeredolu met with Olusegun Mimiko the outgoing governor in the state on the crisis in the assembly. It is expected that the major priority confronting the incoming administration is how to resolve the resolve the crisis which has hindered Mimiko from presenting the 2017 budget to members for approval before handing over the reign of administration.
While Akeredolu is preparing for a smooth take over this Friday, a group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Progressives Youths League (CPYL), Ondo state chapter has urged the Governor-elect, to give 10 percent of his appointments to the youths between ages 18 to 35 years.
Mr. Adebowale Akinlosotu, state coordinator of CPYL, made the demand while speaking with journalists, shortly after ?Akeredolu’s transition Sub Committee on Youths and Sports submitted their reports to the steering committee.
He said the incoming government must start looking in the direction of how to empower and appoint some youths into leadership positions. This, he said would help the state to develop his political structures.
The incoming administration may also have to contend with the backlog of unpaid salaries and allowances of civil servants in the state. Already, members of the Association of Retired Staff of Rufus Giwa polytechnic, Owo local government area of Ondo State have appealed to the outgoing governor, Olusegun Mimiko ,to pay their pension arrears and gratuity before bowing out of office this Friday.
The retirees, who claimed they started the struggle for the payment of their pension in 2006, said the state government as at December 31, 2016 was owing them N912,727,324.85.
This it said exclude the 33 percent pension increase approved by the Federal Government in 2010.
Their complaint was contained in a press release issued and signed by the association Chairman, Rufus Oguntoyinbo and General Secretary, Steven Olufawoye shortly after its annual general meeting held at the weekend at the Polytechnic Auditorium.
The elder statesmen ?said they had met with the governor on several occasions at which they were promised that the debt will be cleared.
The association lamented that one of them died recently because he could not raise N500 to buy his regular drug.
T?hey revealed that 57 of them have reportedly died within the last three years and without receiving their gratuity, arrears or pension.
They also blamed their predicaments on the immediate past Rector of the institution, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, whom they said despite the intervention of the State Assembly in 2014, directing the institution to pay them, the rector refused to implement the report.
According to them, the Assembly directed that “management of the polytechnic should pay retirees the arrears of pension and gratuity as from 2006 to date. That management of the institution should? commences the full payment of pension to all retirees in accordance with enhanced salary from 2001 to date.
“The financial implication of placing the affected pensioners on the enhanced pension increase rate is about N600,000 per month; which we expect management to add to the monthly wage bill.
“Ajibefun who could not afford to release that amount to the monthly pension of some retirees autocratically collected ?N49, 600,000 as his gratuity at the end of his four years in office at the polytechnic.
“We are making the whole world especially the incoming administration in Ondo State to know the predicaments of the retirees of the state Polytechnic.
“From our our experience, it could be ascertained that Mimiko hand pendant hatred for the Polytechnic which adversely affected the retirees.”
Also Dr Shola Agboola, Ondo State Secretary of Alliance for Democracy (AD), has advised the incoming governor to clear the salary arrears of workers in the state. Agboola who made the statement in Lagos explained that the incoming governor enjoyed a lot of support from the people and should therefore make payment of staff salaries and other entitlement a priority.
He said, “In fact, I want to suggest that a state of emergency on the welfare of pensioners and workers be declared by the new government, considering the suffering of workers and pensioners.
“Workers who work deserve their pay. I hope that will be the first priority of the incoming administration of Akeredolu, even before constituting his cabinet.
“It is unfortunate that workers are being owed salaries for months in an oil producing state,’’ Agboola said.
He advised the governor-elect to focus on rejuvenating the agricultural sector and to return the state to the era of farm settlements.
“Akeredolu must open up rural roads for farmers to bring their produce to the cities.’’
There is no doubt that the report of the transition committee set up by the in-coming governor would give the governor a road map to how he can tackle some of the difficulties that may confront the administration.
Though Akeredolu has promised he wouldn’t probe his predecessor, pressure has been mounting on the incoming governor to take a holistic audit of the state account.
For instance, Jimoh Ibrahim, former governorship aspirant in the just concluded election while congratulating the governor-elect urged him to probe the outgoing administration of Mimiko.
Judging by the overwhelming support the new governor-elect enjoyed from the people of Ondo State during the last election, Akeredolu has no excuse for not delivering on the campaign promises. But how the incoming administration would do that in the mist of lean resources of the state, time would tell.
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