Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has slashed the salaries of senior political appointees in the state by 50 per cent with immediate effect.
Makinde made the announcement on Friday at the 2020 International Workers’ Day held at the state secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Agodi, Ibadan.
He, however, said civil servants in the state would not be affected by the pay cut.
The 50 per cent cut in political appointees’ salaries in the state came barely two weeks after the governor indicated that the monthly allocations of the legislators had been cut by 30 per cent.
The pay cut, he said, would be channelled towards the execution of developmental projects in the state.
The governor said, “When I was taking over the affairs of government on May 29, 2019, I never envisaged that our first Worker’s Day celebration would happen without the usual pomp.
“The next couple of months are going to be difficult ones, but we are working hard to mitigate the shocks to our economy. Already, we have secured the cooperation of the legislature to take a 30 per cent cut to their monthly allocations, while senior government appointees take 50 per cent pay cuts.”
Makinde, who commended workers for their efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, said, “The wellbeing of the common man takes precedence. I give you my word; we will continue to put in the work needed to ensure that you are never paid with ‘bear with us’ at the end of any month.
“We salute the workers who have had to sacrifice their earnings at this time, those whose businesses have been affected by the partial lockdown in Oyo State. The COVID-19 pandemic has struck. It is now the responsibility of us all to build something out of this pandemic that will make generations to come proud.
“This pandemic has shown how decayed our healthcare system is. We have had to invest in upgrading and equipping our healthcare facilities.”
