The governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has lamented the dwindling monthly federal allocation to the state, saying it is not sufficient to pay the salaries of its workers.
Mimiko, who spoke at a town hall meeting in Owo, headquarters of Owo Local Government, said government workers in the state earn N3.9 billion monthly.
Giving a breakdown of the state’s finances, Mimiko said it receives N2.3 billion from the federation account monthly and pays N3.9 billion as salaries.
He said the state government takes overdraft from banks to pay its workers due to the dwindling federal allocation.
The governor stated, however, that all the pensioners and workers in the employ of the state government had received their salaries till August 2015, adding that arrangements were on top gear to pay September salary.
Meanwhile, a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Ebenezer Alabi, has rejected his recent appointment as Mimiko’s Senior Special Assistant.
Alabi, who was the state chairman of PDP before Mimiko defected from the Labour Party (LP) later became the chairman of old PDP, when he led LP members to the party. The governor had, on Monday, announced Alabi as one of his new aides.
In a letter dated October 7 and addressed to Mimiko, Alabi thanked the governor for counting him worthy of the appointment, but turned down the offer for personal reasons.