Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun on Wednesday opened up on his inability to pay the salaries of workers in the state for five months, blaming it on “declining federal allocation.’’
The governor made the open confession at the 7th Bola Tinubu Colloquium organised to mark Tinubu’s 63rd birthday in Lagos.
He said he was deeply pained and unhappy that he had not been able to pay workers salaries.
“I have found it hard to pay the wage bills owing to the declining federal allocation to the state.
“Federal allocation to the state has reduced by 40 per cent since 2013, making it difficult for government to meet up its responsibilities,” he said.
Aregbesola said the situation became so bad at a time that he resorted to the state’s reserves and exhausted it on payment of salaries.
The governor added that the government went ahead to accumulate debt of N12 billion in its bid to ensure that salaries were paid.
He said that he would not mind to borrow more “just to ensure that workers were paid but the “banks would not grant more loans.”
