The
Peoples’ Democratic Party in Osun State has accused the state governor, Mr Rauf
Aregbesola of paying N20 billion to a construction company out of the N35billion
bailout funds released to Osun by the Central Bank of Nigeria to pay workers’
salary arrears.
Aregbesola
In
a statement by PDP, signed by its Director of Media and Strategy, Prince Diran
Odeyem, the party accused Aregbesola of using the bailout to pay the
construction company, Slava Yeditepe, which is handling the
Oba Adesoji Aderemi Second By-Pass Road project in the state.
PDP
said Aregbesola ought to pay the salary arrears of the workers before paying
the contractor. The party described Aregbesola’s decision as as misplacement of
priority, lamenting that civil servants in the state are wallowing in abject
poverty due to unpaid salaries.
According
to the statement, "We have it on good authority that the payment was
effected last week Thursday and we have noticed that the contractor has
returned to site with its men and equipment within 24 hours as requested by the
governor."
The
party said, “The N35billion bailout is lodged in two banks- WEMA and Zenith. While
the funds in one of the banks remained fixed as earlier alleged, the part
lodged in the other bank has been recalled to pay this company with very strong
links to a presidency figure”.
"Much
as we believe the road project is ideal, we wonder why an inflated road
contract awarded at N1 billion per kilometre has suddenly become the priority
of Governor Aregbesola at this particular period of nine months unpaid salary
if not because of some undercurrent deals to siphon funds and short-change the
people of Osun state”.
"This
perhaps is the reason why the governor said he would only pay half of March
salary for workers at a meeting he held with them last week," "These
hardship is too much for the people of Osun and we are therefore appealing to
traditional rulers and religious bodies in the state to wade in before it
escalates further because an hungry person is unarguably an angry man,"
the PDP said.
Reaction:
Reacting to the accusation by the PDP, the
Director of Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of Governor, Mr
Semiu Okanlawon said PDP’s accusation lacks logic.
Okanlawon said the road project
mentioned by PDP was awarded at N14.5billion and wonder how government would pay
N20billion to the contractor handling it.
Aregbesola’s spokesperson accused PDP
of distortions of facts, misinformation and outright lies orchestrated by the
opposition party to distract Aregbesola government in the aftermath of the
receipt of the bailout funds.
According to Okanlawon, “Nothing could
be more ridiculous as an allegation! First, Governor Aregbesola commenced the
construction of the Adesoji Aderemi Road in July 2013 at the total cost of
N14.5billion and this was publicly announced. What then would be the reason for
the payment of N20billion to the contractor in 2015?
“Secondly,
the PDP has shot itself in the foot and punctured its own lies of last week
where it accused Aregbesola of fixing the bailout funds in a deposit account
for interests to accrue. If its claim of fixing the N34.988billion in a deposit
account was true, how then was the governor able to pay N20billion to Slava
Yeditepe? This stands logic in the head. This does not show some good thinking
on the part of the PDP and its allies in the destabilisation plot.”
“There can be no other rationale behind
these spurious allegations and those they still plan to make other than a
determined effort to incite workers against the government.
“This is why the public must be wary of
the antics of this party and its co-travellers. Just within one week, the party
has accused Aregbesola of fixing the funds in a deposit account with a view to
making personal gains. It has also said at least N20billion of the same
N34.988billion has been paid to a construction company. These are all within
the same week.”
“Whether the PDP and its allies in the
evil plot realise it or not, the Osun people are much more sophisticated and
more discerning than they take them to be. Such lies are too cheap for them,” Okanlawon
noted.
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