FAYEMI’S CLAIM ON POLITICAL OFFICE HOLDERS’SEVERANCE ALLOWANCE DECEITFUL – ONI’S AIDE

Chief Media Aide to Chief Olusegun Oni, former governor of Ekiti State, Wale Ojo-Lanre has described claim by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governor of the State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi that he was going pay severance allowances of past political office holders in the State as ambiguous and misleading.

He said the Oni-led government paid severance allowances of all political office holders from 1999 to 2007, including those who served in the local councils, who were paid 50 percent of the allowance.

Ojo-Lanre, in a release made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti today said Fayemi's claim on payment of was only meant to win cheap popularity, saying; “the truth is that only 50 percent of local councils political office holders is yet to be paid as at the time Oni left office.”

“It is on record that Oni paid the severance allowance of all political office holders that served under the Otunba Niyi Adebayo's regime and also paid those of Fayose.

“Apart from former governor, Adeniyi Adebayo himself, others whose severance allowance were paid include Hon. George Femi Ojo, former chairman of Local Government Service Commission, N2.9 million; Chief Remi Oguntuase (Remog), N2.9 million; Dr. Gboyega Isijola, former SUBEB chairman, N2.9 million, Chief Diran Adesua, N2.4million; Chief Segun Akinwumi, N1.7 million; Chief Mrs. Ronke Okunsanya, AC woman leader (N3 million); Chief Bayo Aina, N3 million; Chief Sesan Fatoba,

N2.3 million, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, N3.27 million among other office holders.

“It is also on record that the Oni government inherited a backlog of N1, 476,961,367.32 as arrears of pensions and gratuities in respect of Primary School Teachers and Local Government staff. This was made up of N360, 566,040.61 as pensions and N1, 116,395,326.71 as gratuities.

About N400 million was also owed the state government retirees before Oni came on board.

“All these gratuity and pension arrears dating back to 1993 of over N2 billion were settled completely by December 31, 2007 and no noise was made about it because Oni does not believe in praise singing.

“Therefore, if Fayemi is going to pay the remaining 50 percent of the local councils severance allowance, he should just do so without assaulting our sensibilities with his messianic posture,” Ojo-Lanre said.

While advising Fayemi to talk less and act more, Ojo-Lanre said; “By now, we believe Fayemi ought to have realised that governance is more serious than activism, which entails just making press statements and writing proposals to solicit funds from donor agencies.”