‘Ben Murray-Bruce’s Gift, Mockery Of Osun Workers’ Plight’

A civil rights activist, Dr. Olusegun Aderemi, has described as sheer mockery of Osun State workers’ plight, the offer being made by Senator Ben Murray-Bruce to donate half of his wardrobe allowance to them.

Aderemi, a member of the Society for Corporate Governance of Nigeria, said this on Monday at Sango in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government of Ogun State while commenting on the plights of public workers in the country.

He noted that the Osun State workers who were being owed eight months’ salaries were not beggars and should not be treated as such. He said all they were asking for “is their legitimate wages which they really worked hard for.”

Aderemi, who is also a businessman, queried how far the N250,000 promised by the senator from Bayelsa State would go in solving the huge salary debts.

Describing the money promised by Murray-Bruce as tax payers’ money which he didn’t work for, Aderemi added that the senator could have dipped his hands into his personal business and give substantial money to the embattled workers.

He said, “Senator Ben Murray-Bruce is playing politics with the plight of the Osun State workers. The half of his wardrobe allowance that he promised to give to the people is the people’s money because he has not done anything to earn that money.

“The workers deserve the salaries because they worked hard for the money.

“If he wants to sincerely give to the people, let him take substantial fund from the proceeds of his business.”

He urged Murray-Bruce to intervene in the situations of workers in all states owing salaries, by working with other lawmakers to fashion out a lasting solution together in concert with the Federal Government.

Aderemi called on all state governments, especially those affected by the ongoing cash-crunch to consider venturing into businesses that could generate funds with which they could augment their financial strength.

He said, “All states spend over 67 per cent of their allocation on salaries and one would wonder how developmental projects could be done in the states.

“They should embark on viable ventures that would sustain them even before allocations from the Federation Account arrive.”

He, however, urged the All Progressives Congress-led government to look into ways of partnering with the other two layers of government in ensuring rapid development at these levels.

PUNCH