Osun State government has constituted a committee for the sharing of state’s revenue to ensure smooth running of the government.

The committee headed by veteran Labour Leader and one time Secretary General of the Organisation of African Trade Unions (OATU), Comrade Hassan Sunmonu is to oversee the sharing of State’s revenue to ensure prompt payment of salaries as well as adequate running of government.
 
Specifically, the Committee of Government and Labour is for apportionment of net revenue accruing from the Federation Account and Internally Generated revenue.

The State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola who inaugurated the Committee at the Governor’s Office, stated that the Committee, in a transparent manner, would apportion all funds accruing ‎to the State Government to take care of salaries, pensions and other critical expenditure of government. 

He said the birth of a committee was long overdue having suggested the idea in the wake of the clamour for minimum wage, which pitched workers against their state governments.

The 17-man Committee is made up of representatives of the government and workers. They are Osun NLC Chairman, Comrade Jacob Adekomi, Chairman, Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) Comrade Bayo Adejumo, Osun’s Nigerian Union Teachers Chairman, Comrade Wakeel Amuda, Comrade Rufus Adeyemi, Comrade Mrs. Oluwatoyin Idowu, Comrade Afolabi, Comrade Gbenga Oyebode and Comrade Akeem Ibrahim.

The rest are Chief of staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, former Group Managing Director of Oodua Investment, Mr. Bayo Jimoh, former Commissioner for Information, Mr. Sunday Akere, Managing Director, Osun Investment Company, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, Permanent Secretaries of the Ministries of Finance, Local Government and Chieftaincy titles and that of Human Resources and Capacity Building.

Aregbesola pointed out that the financial crisis that swept through the federation, beginning from July 2013 and ravaged the entire country crippled the finances of states and the Federal Government, making payment of salaries very difficult.

According to him, “What many do not realise was that the governmental system of the whole country was under mortal threat, and not only in Osun. 

“It might interest us to know that the government of Goodluck Jonathan, according to his Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had to borrow N476 billion from commercial banks to be able to pay salaries in the last four months of the administration.

“Thank God for His mercies. If God had not heard our prayers and came to our rescue with the election of President Muhammadu Buhari, the entire Nigerian government at all levels, was dangerously racing towards bankruptcy.”

The governor stressed that the present situation of government calls for toughness, saying his administration will critically look at the next 24 months to take the state through the stormy weather.

He said the allocation received from Abuja should be a sort of legacy fund tied to specific legacy projects that would make life better for the people and not funds to be expended anyhow.

Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, also a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, in his remarks attributed the financial crisis to fate, saying when things happened the way it has happened to Osun and Nigeria, it only demonstrated that a divine being is directing the affairs of men.
He thanked the governor for setting the labour/government committee up as it will assist the parties in working harmoniously to find a lasting solution to the salaries hiccups.