Workers in Ekiti State are angry with Governor Ayo Fayose over the purchase of N75 million Lexus jeep 2018 model as a “parting gift” less than fifty days to exit from office.
They also slammed the governor for alleged N43 million severance benefits for him and his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.
The state councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) said the vehicle purchase and severance package was an act of insensitivity to the plight of the workers.
The unions wondered why a governor who has refused to pay backlog of salaries would be contemplating buying of exotic vehicle and paying himself severance as partying gifts.
Government workers are owed between five and eight month arrears of salaries while retirees are owed about nine month arrears of pensions.
In a joint statement on Friday signed by the state NLC Chairman, Mr. Ade Adesanmi and his TUC counterpart, Mr. Odunayo Adesoye, also described the “parting gifts” to Fayose and Olusola as “selfish.”
The workers’ leaders said Fayose ought to have been concerned with how the backlog of arrears of workers’ salaries and retirees’ pensions will be paid.
According to them, “there would be industrial crisis in the state, if the governor proceeded with his plans in paying himself and his Deputy that huge amount and purchasing the new vehicle.
“If it is true that the state government has approved the purchase of N74million worth of vehicle as parting gift and N43 million severance package each for the governor and his deputy.
“We stand to condemn it in its entirety, it is an act of selfishness and insensitive to the plight of workers and pensioners in Ekiti State.
“If a government is owing workers several arrears of salaries and at this critical time that the state ought to have mopped up all its resources to ensure that the outstanding salary arrears and other
entitlement are defrayed, that the governor as an individual is now clamouring for the payment of severance allowance and take away gift of N74 million Utility Sport Vehicle.
“We call on the governor to desist from such act and look for a way to pay workers’ salaries and if government should go ahead with this action there will be industrial crisis in Ekiti state,” the union leaders said.
On the allegations of illegal sale of state assets leveled against Fayose, Adesanmi said, “I don’t think that act is right.
“We stand to condemn it as well, because if property has been existing for several years now and has not been sold by previous governments and you have just few weeks to exit and you are putting them up for sale.
“It is condemnable and people buying that kind of property should know that this is not right, the incoming government would set up administrative panel to look into it.”
