By Peter Adeniyi
Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s determination to cut down significantly on the cost of governance has made the state government to accommodate the variance in the new minimum wage.
This was the submission of the state Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, on Thursday before the 26-member state House of Assembly when he was defending the 2021 Budget estimates of the Finance Conglomerate.
Responding to questions from the lawmakers, Oyebamiji maintained that the state was able to achieve success in implementating the new minimum wage in the face of dwindling allocation from the Federation Account because of Mr. Governor’s determination and commitment to workers’ welfare.
According to him, Governor Oyetola has made a lot of sacrifices to reduce the cost of governance so as to be able to put smiles on the faces of the civil servants in Osun.
He said: “Mr. Governor showed a lot of determination to put smiles on the faces of our workers and he took a lot of belt-tightening measures to accommodate the variance that was expected of the new minimum wage.
“The governor has also taken steps to galvanize the Osun Internal Revenue Service (OIRS) into doing more in terms of revenue generation for the state. We are lucky to have at this time, a governor who is an expert in the field of finances; a lot of financial reengineering has taken place since Mr. Governor assumed office.
“We have a governor, who has brought down the cost of governance seriously. His focus is on issues aimed at solving problems alone. He wants to keep our civil servants happy because he believes they are the engine room of government.”