– The Ekiti state government reportedly withdrew two months’ workers’ salaries already paid into their bank accounts
– The government blamed the error on the service providers
– The All Progressives Congress blasted Governor Ayodele Fayose for crediting workers’ accounts with their salaries only to withdraw the money after “a heavy media hype”
– The chief press s ecretary to Fayose blamed the ex-governor Kayode Fayemi for the inability to pay workers
Governor Fayose reportedly withdrew workers’ salaries after payment.
Workers in Ekiti state are shocked and disappointed after the state government on Thursday, February 4, reportedly withdrew two months’ salaries already paid into their bank accounts.
Teachers in the state had earlier warned Governor Ayodele Fayose that they would go on strike if he refuses to pay their September 2014 salary arrears and 2014 leave bonuses.
Speaking with The Punch, Samuel Akosile, the state chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, said that the organization would consider the next step to take at the expiration of the warning strike beginning today, February 8.
Last week, workers, mainly civil servants, received alerts from their banks that their salaries for November and December 2015 had been paid into their accounts. However, the workers were absolutely shocked when their salaries were quietly withdrawn from their accounts without any reasons and explanation from the banks.
Expressing his disappointment, a civil servant who simply identified himself as Akindele, said:
“I had gone to the bank on Friday to withdraw money from the Automated Teller Machine but was disappointed when there was no money in my account. On enquiry, I was told that the government had instructed banks to recall payment.”
Meanwhile, the Ekiti state government has blamed the error on the service providers.
Commenting on the situation, Lanre Ogunsuyi, the commissioner for information, stressed that the government had no intention to embarrass any worker.
“The error is from the service provider and it has been rectified,” he added.
However, some workers had gone to the bank to withdraw the money before the government could start removing the money from their accounts.
Ogunsuyi said that the government was looking into the case of those who might have withdrawn their money and “appropriate action would be taken after due consideration.”
Reacting to the development, the All Progressives Congress blasted Fayose for crediting workers’ accounts with their salaries only to withdraw the money after “a heavy media hype.”
In a statement made on Sunday, February 7, by Taiwo Olatunbosun, the state publicity secretary, the party accused the governor of fraudulent conduct and noted that it was not the first time Fayose was doing this to workers.
“He did it to primary school teachers last year when he learnt that they were to embark on a strike. That is what he did last week after learning of the strike plan by teachers after they refused to help him in a solidarity rally to save him from Ekitigateprobe.”
“The governor that said the state was broke suddenly paid two months’ salaries after learning that the teachers were bent on embarking on a protest over his failure to pay their salary arrears, even though he quickly reversed a month salary from their accounts after workers were celebrating payment of two months arrears,” the statement read.
Debunking the allegations, Idowu Adelusi, the governor’s chief press secretary, issued a statement putting blame on ex-governor Kayode Fayemi.
“Is it not the mess left behind by the Fayemi’s administration that is causing problem for Fayose’s government? Nine hundred and fifty million naira is deducted monthly by those who Fayemi administration took loan from. If N950m is added to N1.3bn that came last month, it will go a long way for Fayose administration to meet financial obligations,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Fayose has stated that his government will not cut down its workforce nor make any reduction in the payment of workers.
“I can’t sack any worker. Immediately they started the story of retrenchment, I told them count me out. You see, when you are owing me as a worker, it is different from taking my means of livelihood. When you are owing the worker at the bad times, he will have the hope that when money comes he would be paid. But if you had sacked him, you have killed him, you have taken away his life,” he said.
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