Osun teachers deny salary payment rumour

The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Osun State, Mr. Wakeel Amuda, has said teachers in the state have not been paid any of the outstanding salaries by the state government.

Amuda said this in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Osogbo on Sunday.

There were rumours in the state during the weekend that workers had started receiving bank alert for payment of three months’ salaries.

But Amuda described the rumor as a lie being peddled by some politicians to hoodwink members of the public that the state government had paid the workers.

He said, “It is all lies.We have not received any payment alert. Some politicians are behind the rumor. A politician told me that a civil servant had received salary alert around noon today (Sunday). I followed him to the person but there was no evidence that his salary has been paid. It is a lie.”

Efforts to confirm from the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state, Mr. Jacob Adekomi, were unsuccessful as calls put across to his telephone indicated that the phone had been switched off.

A worker in one of the local governments in the state also told our correspondent that they were still expecting to be paid as of Sunday evening.

The worker, who pleaded not to be mentioned, said he had not received any salary alert while describing the rumour of payment as unfounded.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has berated the state government for allegedly misleading members of the public that workers had been paid.

The Director of Publicity of the PDP in Osun State, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, said this in a statement in Osogbo on Sunday.

The opposition party accused the state government of being behind the claims on the social media that workers had been paid their salaries.

The statement read in part, “Few hours to the June 30 deadline that Governor Rauf Aregbesola set for himself for the payment of all outstanding workers’ salaries and pension, no single worker has been paid.

“We consider this as wicked and insensitive. Many of the workers owing landlords and various people are being harassed for payments due to the online propaganda of the state government.

“Why is everything about Aregbesola’s government shrouded in lies, mystery and secrecy?

“Through our findings, we can confirm that no Osun worker has been paid. We also demand information on how and where Ogbeni Aregbesola got money to pay workers. Was the money made available by banks or he had it and just preferred to withhold payment? We need information.”

Efforts to speak to the governor through his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, on the matter proved abortive as calls put across to his mobile telephone were not answered.