Pay our six months’ salary - doctors tell Aregbesola

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola
| credits: File copy

Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has accused the Governor of Osun State, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, of deliberately denying workers their six months’ salaries.

Chairman of NMA Action Committee in the state, Dr. R.A. Adebayo, said in a letter to the governor and a copy of which was made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Friday, that the governor had collected up to March, 2015 allocation but he refused to pay doctors and other workers.

NMA also alleged that Aregbesola had deliberately made himself unavailable for dialogue with the association over the issue.

It said a meeting called at the instance of the state Head of Service with the National President of NMA, Dr. Kayode Obembe, and the Chairman of NMA in Oyo State branch, Dr. M.B Olatunji, based on the ultimatum given to Osun State Government led to many “discoveries.”

The association said, “Despite the non-payment of six months salaries to doctors and other civil servants in Osun, contractors and political office holders have been the beneficiaries of the available revenue accrued to our state from the federation account.

“Our association therefore concluded that the non-payment of six months salaries to our members as well as other civil servants is not a matter of government inability but unwillingness to pay.”

The NMA, however, accused the governor of paying political appointees who they said earned jumbo pay while workers who were paid peanuts were left to suffer.

The association therefore called on Argebsola to pay workers’ salaries without further delay, saying the governor should be held responsible for any action taken by doctors if their salaries were not paid.

But Agebesola blamed the alleged mishandling of the nation’s resources for the inability to pay workers regularly.

In a statement sent to our correspondent by his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the governor said, “With transparent handling of national resources, the days of revenue crisis in Nigeria will soon be over and workers will once again be assured of their place of priority. We are committed to furthering our achievements in Osun State as far as the welfare of workers is concerned.”