APC, PDP bicker in Ondo over Mimiko’s London conference

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Ondo State chapter has flayed the state governor, Olusegun Mimiko for travelling overseas for an international conference at Chatham House, while workers strike over unpaid salaries lingers.

In a statement by the state Director of Publicity, Steve Otaloro, the party accused Mimiko of extravagance and insensitivity to the workers’ plights.

The governor had last week travelled to London on the invitation of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House for the 2016 Conference, where he spoke on “Healthcare for All: From Aspiration to Implementation.”

Otaloro noted that the strike action has increased the economic hardship on the people saying it is, “even more daunting as the industrial action has completely crippled economic activities in the state.”

He said, “Mimiko has been globe-trotting since he came to power in 2009 at the expense of the state’s meagre resources and under the guise of seeking investors for the state.

The APC chieftain denigrated Mimiko for the trip and other trips, claiming they have not yielded any positive benefits, even though the expenses are heaved on the masses through heavy taxation.

While admitting that “there is revenue shortfall from the Federation Account, the state is not the only one affected, as some states are still afloat paying salaries and discharging other government responsibilities to their people,” he said.

However, the Director of Publicity of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ayo Fadaka, sympathised with the workers, retorting that the criticism from the opposition party underlined its ignorance about governance.

“Much as we agree that the workers strike is unfortunate, we must emphasise that such action is not restricted to Ondo, as the spate of industrial action is ignited by the poor understanding of economic management of the APC-led Federal Government.

“It is instructive to declare that the insinuations concerning the governor’s trip abroad in spite of the workers strike demonstrates clearly the poor understanding of the APC operatives on the workings of government.