Ondo bailout loan intact, says Mimiko

Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has denied the allegation that the bailout loan collected by the state from the Federal Government has been lodged in a fixed account. He said that his government would not do what would negatively affect the welfare of the state’s workers.

The governor, while addressing accounting officers and public servants on Grade Level 13 and above in the state public service during a meeting in Akure, declared that the money was still intact.

There had been insinuations in some quarters that the government had lodged the money in a fixed deposit account at Access Bank, but Mimiko said the bailout fund could not have been put in a fixed account because it was a loan that would be deducted from the state’s allocation.

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According to him, it will be unreasonable to fix such money, adding that any bank caught in such an act will receive sanctions from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He recalled that the state Executive Council had given approval for the payment of July and August salaries on Monday before the payment preparation was disrupted by the strike, called by the workers’ union.

He however advised the public servants to always verify the truth and maintain a minimum level of responsibility before taking decisions.

He gave an assurance that his administration would always promote the welfare of the workers.

He explained that his administration’s programmes had received accolades from within and outside the country due to the effective synergy between the political class and the workers.

Expressing his disappointment over the disruption of activities at the health institutions in the state by the union leaders during the two-day warning strike, Mimiko said it was immoral and unacceptable to drag health workers out of hospitals while offering services to patients in the name of a strike.

He then charged the workers to continue to do their jobs, assuring them of more periodic interactions with a view to bridging communication gap between the government and the workers