Osun State Is Spending More Than It’s Generating – Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi

Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, the Oluwo of Iwo, on Thursday stated that Osun State is dying as the state pays it workers salaries without generating revenue.

While speaking with journalist in Iwo at the Engr Ademola Adedapo’s annual secondary schools’ quiz competition, stated that the work force in the state are much and will be difficult for the Osun State government to pay salaries.

He took the opportunity to call on the state government to increase the Internally Generated Revenue
to improve the fortune of the state. He said:

“We’ve a problem in Osun and we’ve to shout and tell the world that we’re sick in Osun. It’s just the truth I’m telling you. We need to upgrade and update our civil service to be IT-compliant and we’ve to create a way to find other jobs for them in the civil service.”

“With what’s going on in Osun, we don’t have the money. I’m in this government and it doesn’t matter because I’m a traditional ruler. I’ve to be concerned on how government can succeed.”

“We’ve so many workers for some jobs. I’m not telling them to retrench, but government should find some ways out of this situation. How much is the allocation of Osun State in a month? Can it pay the wage bill or salary? Civil servants themselves should be more creative. Civil service is the largest employer of labour in this state and the IGR is nothing. We need to create more IGR.”

“Osun is dying. The state is paying so much money and not making money. People have to pay tax and there should be more ways of ensuring the payment of informal taxes. There are many incomes being generated through informal sector and is not coming to the government.”

The Governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola while reacting to the statement through the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Festus Olajide, said the Oluwo had “not minced words in telling the truth.”

He said the quiz competition had brought out test and measurement in terms of performance of students in public schools.