The Oyo State Government on Tuesday commenced the payment of two months outstanding salaries to its workers.
Mr Toye Arulogun, the State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, announced this at the Annual Lecture/Award of the ministry’s Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Oyo State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the payment would reduce the outstanding salaries to five months from August.
NAN reports that the state government had hinged the challenges in the payment of salaries on economic recession.
Arulogun stated that the payment was to reduce workers hardship at yuletide, adding that the payment would be for June and July.
The stressed that government was constantly seeking ways, means and solutions to offset the outstanding salaries and ensure prompt payment subsequently.
“The present administration in the state under the leadership of Gov. Abiola Ajimobi is resolute in making life easier and meaningful for the workers and the citizenry.
“The government is very passionate about the welfare of workers and the people of the state in general.
“We are not comfortable with the situation of things in the state as well and we are already making efforts to clear the outstanding salaries of the workforce”, he said.
Mr Olatunji Oladejo, Director of Public Communications, University of Ibadan, said the mass media mould opinions.
Oladejo, in his lecture “The Role of Media in a Depressed Economy: Nigeria as a Case Study”, added that the pollution of information by the uncensored media can corrupt the society.
He said the presence of uncensored social media like Facebook, Whatsapp. Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and many others has caused pollution of information.
Oladejo called for regulation of the social media to arrest the pollution of information in the society. (NAN)