Civil servants and teachers in Ekiti State agitating for the payment of their outstanding September salaries got a piece of bad news from the state chief executive on Friday.
Governor Ayo Fayose told them to forget the payment of the salary at least for now.
The governor who disclosed his decision while featuring on his monthly media chat, “Meet Your Governor”, said the precarious financial situation of the state would not allow him to pay workers September salaries.
Fayose also revealed that governors of Jigawa, Adamawa and Katsina States sent rams and cows to him as part of their contributions to his “stomach infrastructure” agenda for Christmas celebrations.
He explained that he took the step in his desire to make Ekiti people happy and ensure that they do not go hungry during the festive season.
While urging workers in the state to exercise patient with his administration, Fayose emphasized that the financial position of the state is so bad to the extent that he had reached an agreement with some banks to give the state what he called “financial leeway” for six months to enable him pay salaries.
The governor explained that the deductions from the allocation of the state from the Bond sourced by the last administration and commercial loans obtained from banks had adversely affected the state finances.
Fayose pointedly told civil servants, teachers and other government workers to stop complaining and adjust themselves to the prevailing realities maintaining that he would not be deceiving them on issues affecting governance.
He said, “I became governor on October 16 and that is two months and ten days now and I want to state categorically that I have managed resources of the state very well.
“Now coming here to tell the people that I will pay September salaries, no, no, I will not say that. The salaries I am paying now, I had interface with banks to give me leeway for six months to be able to arrange myself, “Fayose declared.
