Fayose says governors who cannot afford to pay civil servants' salaries should resign

EKITI State governor Ayo Fayose has distanced himself from the decision of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to cut staff strength in the public service as a way out of the current economic challenges stating they governors who cannot pay wages should resign from office.

 

Most of Nigeria's states owe month's salary arrears and several governors have made it clear they cannot meet their obligations to their civil servants. Earlier this week, the NGF said that its members cannot pay the N18,000 (£60.50) monthly minimum wage and the only way forward is for them to reduce staff numbers.

 

Governor Fayose said: “It could at best be described as an agenda of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its central government, which appears to be clueless about revamping the Nigerian economy. I like to restate that workers remain critical stakeholders in governance in Nigeria and as such, their rights and privileges must be protected and guaranteed at all times in the spirit and letters of the Nigerian constitution, particularly the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy.

 

 “It’s painful that a government which indulged in propaganda and promised to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians could consider the idea of retrenching workers within its first six months in office alongside the withdrawal of subsidy on petroleum products. It’s a known fact that some state governors plunged their states into huge debts very carelessly and recklessly thus mortgaging the lives and souls of their states."

 

He stated categorically that Ekiti State should be counted out of such arrangement, insisting that governors must go and engage with their people, through interactions on the way forward. He called on governors to cut their expenses in other areas if they were struggling to raise revenue to pay salaries.

 

Governor Fayose added: “There is no moral justification for a resort to job cut and the social implications of laying off workers at this critical period include social crimes like robbery, suicide and all sorts of malfeasance. State governors and parties that cannot cope with basic obligations particularly payment of workers' salaries may want to step down for more competent managers.

 

“State governors must ensure drastic reduction of costs of governance especially those of pleasure for executives. Central and state governments must cut down on foreign travel and huge estacodes and we all must look inwardly for alternative means of sourcing revenue rather that resort to borrowing.”