Fayemi Deceiving Ekiti Teachers With TSS Payment, Stoppage Of Competency Test—Fayose

By Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation (AFCO)

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described Governor Kayode Fayemi's approval of the payment of the 27.5 per cent Teachers Salary Structure (TSS) and cancellation of the Teachers Development Need Assessment (TDNA) as "deceit of the century," saying; "Ekiti teachers cannot be fooled by a government that took them for granted for over three years."

Speaking through the Director General of Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation (AFCO), Chief Dipo Anisulowo, the PDP governorship candidate said; "Fayemi should rather apologise to Ekiti teachers for refusing to pay the 27.5 per cent TSS that was being paid by the PDP government before he assumed office."

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Fayose, who also described Fayemi's decision to cancel the teachers competency test as laughable and deceitful, urged the teachers to take a clue from what happened in Edo State recently concerning the competency test as against the State government's promise on the test during the July 2012 governorship election.

The statement read; "It is a fact that payment of the 27.5 per cent TSS to Ekiti teachers was approved by the PDP government of Rt. Hon. Olatunji Odeyemi when he was Acting Governor. The approval was implemented by the PDP government of Engr Segun Oni.

"When Fayemi assumed office, he stopped the TSS, as well as payment of the Local Government Health Workers Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).

"It therefore amounts to deceit taken too far for Fayemi to say that he has approved the payment of teachers 27.5 per cent TSS that he stopped out of sheer wickedness just because he needed votes from the teachers.

"It is also deceitful for the governor to have waited for more than two years to realise that the competency test that he tried so hard to force on Ekiti teachers was unnecessary and a waste of public fund.

"Our questions are; why did Fayemi dis-continued with the 27.5 per cent TSS as being paid by the PDP government? Why was he so desperate to force the competency test down the throats of Ekiti teachers? Where lies his sincerity in approving the payment of TSS and cancellation of competency test less than five weeks to the governorship election?

"Does the governor think that Ekiti teachers can be fooled by his election gimmicks, which has further exposed his inconsistency and policy somersault?

"The fact is that as at the time Fayemi stopped paying the 27.5 per cent TSS, the State Government needed less than N30 million to pay.

“Even with the new minimum wage of N18,000, a Grade Level 9 teacher whose monthly Basic Salary is N26,229. 66 will take N7,232.41 as 27.5 percent TSS, while a Grade Level 16 Step1 teacher (Principal), whose Basic Salary is N51,571.67 will take additional N14,182.21 as 27.5 percent as TSS.

“Therefore, isn't it wicked for a governor to have stopped the payment of increment of just N14,182.21 to a Secondary School Principal?"

Lere Olayinka
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