Ekiti pays N140m severance package to former public office holders

Ekiti State Government has paid N140 million severance package to some former elected public officer holders at the local government level.

Those affected are those elected into office in 1999, 2006 and 2008‎.

The State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, gave the order for the payment in Ado-Ekiti during a meeting he held with the affected persons.

A press release by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, on Monday, quoted the governor as saying that families of those already dead must be paid the entitlements of their deceased ones.

He also warned local government officials who would effect the payment against playing politics with the exercise.

“Despite the economic challenges we are facing as a state, we feel it is our duty to honour those who have served our state in the past among whom are former public office holders. You have contributed your own quota to the development of our state. Families of those that are dead should be given too.

“The ‎exercise has nothing to with politics and must be fairly shared. We made some payments some months ago and we are doing this now. If this was done in the past, the backlog would have been cleared now. If not for the financial challenges we are facing, we would have paid everything,” he said.

The governor admonished leaders of the state to let their actions be in the best interest of the state.

Fayose urged th‎e people of the state to expect the best from his administration, economic recession notwithstanding.

‎Speaking on behalf of beneficiaries, Mr Akinola Sadola, commended the governor’s gesture.

He added that despite the economic recession in the country, Fayose could still think of ameliorating the plight of former public office holders.

“We all know what the situation in the country is. Many states are facing serious economic challenges, even states that are more endowed than Ekiti, but our governor has been indefatigable. He is executing various developmental projects that are confounding critics. Many are wondering how he is doing it.

“As a group, we appreciate the governor’s efforts and we are also pledging our unflinching support for him. If previous administrations were doing like this, the backlog would have been cleared,” he stated.

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