Reduce Budget For Your Office, Osun Workers Tell Adeleke •.. Demand Instant Implementation of N70k Minimum Wage. By Adekunle Alao

Workers, under the aegis of the Osun Workers Union (OWU), have expressed concerns over the inability of the Senator Ademola Adeleke-led government to settle their arrears and employee benefits despite the financial buoyancy of the state. 

They berated the governor for playing lip-service to their welfare while he feeds fat with their commonwealth, stating that almost N30 billion spent for the office of the governor in less than two years of the Administration could have been used to offset the outstanding benefits.

This was just as the workers called for the immediate implementation of the newly approved N70,000 National Minimum Wage

 

The Union, in a statement by its Organising Secretary, Comrade Gabriel Adeoye, noted that despite the increase in the federal allocation coming to the state since removal of fuel subsidy, the government of Adeleke had deliberately ignored the patriotic call to pay the deserving emoluments to workers, instead had devoted time and resources to propagate falsehood in the media to earn cheap and ignoble popularity.

In the words of Adeoye, "Governor Adeleke, contrary to his electoral promise of wiping tears of Osun workers and pensioners, has not done anything more remarkable than what we used to experience. In 2024, for instance, the government budgeted to spend N5 billion as Contributory Pension, but as at June, only N842m, representing 16%, had been paid."

Adeoye added that whereas the government had planned to pay N214m as Employees Compensation in 2023, he said nothing was eventually paid.

"Meanwhile in 2022, during the previous administration, the sum of N2.1billion was paid to us as Employees Compensation. Similarly, it is planned that N11.4bn will be paid as pension and gratuity arrears for this year, but as the end of June, nothing was paid. I mean nothing! Again, of the N3.5 billion voted for payment of Gratuity this year, only N500m, representing 14.3%, was paid as at end of June. Last year, the state government paid just N6.8 billion as pension/gratuity almost the N6.1billion that was paid in 2022 by the previous government. We've taken the pain to make this clarification to prove that the current government is not doing anything better or more spectacular than what we used to get."

The union questioned the government's spending priorities, noting that funds were allocated for the purchase of vehicles, including N35 million for a used Toyota Camry car (2009 model) and N3 billion for 20 Landcruiser Jeeps (each valued at N150 million) while employee entitlements remain unpaid.

The workers appealed to Governor Adeleke to take immediate action to remedy the situation, as the workers' income had become insufficient to meet their basic needs.