Oyetola Didn't Owe Us - Osun Civil Servants Group

A group of civil servants under the aegis of Concerned Osun State Civil Servants have denied claims that the immediate past governor of the state, Adegboyega Oyetola left debts which amounted to ₦76 billion.

The group in a statement signed by  Olaniyi Amolegbe on Saturday which maintained that the Adegboyega Oyetola administration did not owe them any salary arrears added that it inherited close to ₦300 billion and several unpaid half salaries when it assumes office on November 27, 2018.

"Our attention has been drawn to a malicious statement circulated to the media by the spokesperson of Governor Ademola Adeleke, stating that his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola, left humongous debt for his government, including ₦76 billion he owed in salary and pension.

“The claim of the governor is not only untrue, it is equally distasteful and destructive.

"As a fact, we, as concerned civil servants with membership drawn from Ministries, Departments and Agencies across the state, know that a debt profile of close to N300 billion was bequeathed to the government of Oyetola in November 27, 2018.

"This was besides a monstrous half salary and pension arrears running to 30 months that the Oyetola-led Administration inherited.

“Notwithstanding the parlous financial situation of the state, Oyetola, through his proven creative financial engineering, was able to discharge his statutory obligations.

"He didn’t only pay salary and pension, he paid them ahead of many states in the country.

“We attest that Oyetola didn’t owe us a kobo throughout his four years in the saddle.

“In his four years in office, his administration committed no less than N180 billion to settle salary and pension obligations, this is despite the N97billion he coughed out to offset part of debt left behind by his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

"His relationship with us was so robust that civil servants in the state did not, for a day, embark on the ritual protests and strike actions.

"To his credit, he met many of our demands, including reabsorbing into the system, many of our colleagues sacked by the previous government and also implemented the N30,000 minimum wage.

“So we are deeply concerned that the new government of Senator Ademola Adeleke, who ordinarily should use this period to familiarize themselves with the peculiar system in Osun so as to appreciate the enormity of task ahead, have begun to play the crudest of politics with their cheap mudslinging and half-baked propaganda.

"We advise the new administration to get busy with statecraft.

"They are lucky that a distinguishedly responsible leader like Oyetola, who was thoughtful to save ₦14 billion in the coffers of the state for his successor, was their forerunner. Oyetola was not that lucky in 2018."

On Thursday, the state governor, Ademola Adeleke revealed that it has uncovered a monumental debt in salaries, pensions and insurance commitments incurred by the outgone administration of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola. 

According to a statement made available by Olawale Rasheed, the spokesperson to Governor Ademola Adeleke, the debt amounted to ₦76 billion.

The breakdown of the salaries and pension-related liabilities as disclosed by Bimpe Ogunlumade, the Permanent Secretary, Osun State Ministry of Finance include; salary: ₦29,875,191,128.64, pension arrears: ₦45,375,237,693.40, group life assurance scheme: ₦554,644,028.97, all of which totalled ₦75,805,072,851.01.

Also, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in his farewell address to the state disclosed that he was leaving behind ₦14 billion in cash in the state coffers.