Senator Ademola Adeleke, Governor of Osun State, has authorised the disbursement of the next instalment of half salary arrears owed by the previous administration of Rauf Aregbesola.
The move made is part of the efforts by Adeleke to settle the salary debts of state workers and support them in line with a 2022 governorship campaign promise.
The governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, revealed this in a statement made available to the journalists on Saturday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
The new settlement of half-salary arrears would be the third by the governor in line with the template issued early this year to pay the debts quarterly.
The administration has paid those of the first and second quarters, while workers are to receive the third quarter payment alongside their July salary.
Adeleke promised voters last year to pay the salary arrears in instalments.
The administration inherited about N26 billion in half-salary arrears and about N50 billion in pension-related debts from the previous government.
Commenting on the approval, the governor restated his commitment to faithfully implementing the template to pay the inherited salary arrears.
He added that the template was a consensus among all stakeholders on how to exit the half-salary trope.
His words:
“I want to assure Osun workers that the payment is progressing as scheduled. Despite the tight fiscal situation, we are prioritising workers’ welfare by paying the inherited debt on an instalment basis.
“As a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, we will remain focused on human development even as we work to upgrade our infrastructure and develop our local economy.”
