Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared his readiness to tackle poor remuneration in the state’s civil service, stating that poor remuneration packages could be counterproductive to anti-corruption initiatives.
Makinde, who was quoted as making the assertions while addressing the newly sworn-in Commissioners in the state, reiterated his commitment towards finding a lasting solution to the issue of poor remuneration in the civil service.
The Governor stated that under his leadership, it would be business unusual, as he would do everything possible to ensure that workers in the state were not exposed to the temptations of corruption.
The Governor said: “We do have challenges and I can give you an example of the kind of issues that we are faced with. When I was on the podium being sworn-in, I announced that I was donating my salary to the pension board. I actually thought my salary was going to be like N3 or N4 million monthly but when I came in here, I discovered that my salary is only N 650,000 monthly, which is less than $2,000. And then, I have a budget of over five hundred million dollars. How can somebody earning $24,000 a year preside over a five hundred million dollar budget? The temptation is just too high.
He continued, “When I was growing up, anytime I saw permanent secretaries and top civil servants, all around with their entourage, jeeps, Land cruisers, I thought they were making it big because I was driving Peugeot or Toyota Camry. “But when I came in here, the salary of Permanent Secretaries is under N500, 000 per month; in such an environment where you have contractors coming with big temptations. The expectation is just too great and high. But the good news is, we will find a solution to this. It’s going to business unusual in Oyo State”.
He charged all the new Commissioners in the state to key into his vision and manifesto of accelerated development of Oyo State, adding that the administration would conduct business in an unusual manner that would change the narrative about governance in the state.