All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has described Governor Rauf Aregbesola as ‘the most consistently people-oriented leader the state has ever known.
The party’s Directorate of Publicity, Research and Strategy, in a statement by its director, Kunle Oyatomi, said: “Every project he had designed, and decision he had taken (even when critics pilloried him for them), were conceived to improve the quality of life of the people and develop the economy of the state.”
“It takes only a person consumed by hate or one totally misinformed by fake news to viciously criticise the governor’s policies and projects as the case has been since he got into office in 2010.
“One of the most topical of these tragic attempts to undermine Aregbesola and the APC government he leads, is the issue of salary.
“This tragedy, which is national, has been made to look as if Osun was the only one in default.
‘But the truth of the matter is that of all the states that were affected, Osun has the best plan in the circumstance to manage the crisis.
“Even in that process, his vicious critics gave the impression, and continue to mislead the public that Aregbesola is only paying half salaries to all workers and has refused to pay pensioners.
‘However, what this calculating and populist governor did was to make a rational deal with labour leaders in the state as to how resources available to the government could be best used to pay salaries and pension
‘The deal is as follows:(1) Workers on levels 1-7 will receive full salaries; (2) Workers from 8 -10 will receive 75 per cent of their salaries; (3) others to get 50 per cent of their salaries. This template applies to pensioners as well.
‘And since this deal was made in 2015, this template has been followed till today. As with workers, so it is with pensioners.”
The party went on: “Fraudulent politicians have been all over town spreading the misleading impression that Aregbesola is paying all workers in the state half salaries, owing pensioners and had diverted the second tranche of the Paris Club funds meant for salaries and pension.
“This falsehood is responsible for misleading some pensioners, who allow themselves to become pawns in the hands of evil opposition politicians, to disturb the peace of Osun recently.
“In spite of all the mischief and false information, the fact remains that no governor yet in the State of Osun can be adjudged to have done better than Ogbeni Aregbesola in developing the state.
“If the satanists in politics would not acknowledge it, and shortsighted people would deny it, history will, however, acclaim it because the facts are there to prove it.
“But more importantly, it is after Aregbesola would have left the stage that the people for whom he has worked so hard will come to fully realise how much this vilified populist leader had done for Osun and that regrettably is when it will truly matter.
“History will indeed vindicate Ogbeni Aregbesola.”
