Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has signed the documents directing the Accountant General of the state to immediately refund monies over-deducted from the salaries of teachers who had bought some facilities from government during the previuos administration of Ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi, now Minister of Solid Minerals Development.
A few years ago, teachers had bought cars and laptops among other
facilities from government on loan with an arrangement for monthly
installment deductions from their salaries.
According to the Ekiti State chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers
(NUT), Comrade Samuel Akosile, the over-deductions from the teachers’
salaries has been a perennial problem but when brought to the notice
of Governor Fayose, he promptly set up a committee to look into the
complaints and gave them an ultimatum of 30 days to bring their
report.
Signing the report and its recommendation and directing the
Accountant General to ensure the refund to reflect in the teachers’
September salaries, Fayose said: “There have been complaints of
over-deductions in terms of facilities they have enjoyed such as
laptop, car loans and others.
“The teachers have paid for these facilities but deductions is still being made. And a proper system that is functioning is not supposed to be like that.
“The system I inhertied has not been functioning and I have to put a
committee in place because these are complaints that are germane to
the well being of the teachers. The committee sat and listened to them
and over 10 million Naira over-deduction was discovered.
“Though, some are just N2000, others are N5000 while the highest may
be N50,000. But to the teachers N2000, N5000 is a lot of money,
especially in times like this.
“And if they still have complaints after the end of this month wehn I
have directed that the deductions be refunded, this committee will
still be around to listen to them.”
The governor who was also commended for promptly approving the grant
to principals in the state, also commented on his readiness to pay the
backlog of 2014 primary teachers’ leave bonus, saying: “The people voted for me because they were convinced I could solve their problems. I can’t continue to blame it on the past administration because the people wouldn’t have voted them out if they still want them. It is now my responsibility and I’ve risen up to the challenge.”
Fayose who has started the process of giving full autonomy to local
governments in the state, harped on the need for state governments to
respect the constitution that created the third tiers of government,
adding that governors should not subvert these laws with their
executive powers.
“The law is the law and you can’t change it. Local government creation and all that guides its creation is entrenched in the constitution of Nigeria. It is only in Nigeria that will a lot of things to subvert the law because we have executive powers.
“So, whatever is in the constitution should be obeyed. Autonomy of the local government must be adhered to in Ekiti and I will review the laws regulating their operations through the state House of Assembly. and strengthen them to be able to manage their affairs. The management of their resources must be left to them.”
Responding to governor Fayose’s handling of the issue of the
teachers’ over-deduction. Akosile said: “This problem you have laid to
rest has been on since the time e-payment was introduced into the
state.
“For you to have taken the bull by the horn and solved this
perennial problem once and for all we pray that God will bless you and
strengthen. You are already raising the hopes of the teachers. We also
want to thank you for having started paying the outstanding salaries
of primary school teachers. N200,000 million has been raised on this
so far. ”
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