“Sell Your Helicopter to Pay Workers’ Salaries”, PDP Tells Aregbesola

The Osun State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, has offered suggestions on how the state government can offset the seven months salaries it owes workers.

In a statement issued by Prince Diran Odeyemi, the party's Director of Media and Strategy, a copy of which was made available to The Anchor Online, the PDP urged the government to "sell the helicopter Governor Aregbesola said it procured for the state and stop frivolous trips to Cuba "

The party said "what this administration told us was that the helicopter was to be used for surveillance, but we have since discovered that the machine is only serving the travelling needs

of Mr. Aregbesola and his family. This remains one drain pipe that must be blocked".

It also advised the governor and his aides to forthwith, stop travelling in chartered aircraft around the world stressing that, if President, Muhammadu Buhari, could be travelling on British Airways, even when aircrafts in presidential fleet are available, there is need for Governor Aregbesola to borrow a leaf.

While expressing support for workers for demanding their entitlement through industrial action, it maintained that Osun State found itself in its present insolvent state because public funds were "recklessly expended on irrelevant but huge projects and ventures without adequate projection of the funds available to the state".

"The whole world is aware of the fact that former Ekiti lawmakers were heavily bribed on the bill of Osun State for several months where they mapped out strategies on how to impeach Governor Fayose. It is also fresh in minds the huge amount Ogbeni Aregbesola expended on the last Ekiti governorship poll, Lagos governorship poll, and the Presidential project of the All Progressive Congress, APC”, Odeyemi alleged.

"Also, a group of miscreants called "State Boys" are being illegally armed and financed by government to unleash terror on many indigenes of the state by the ruling party.
"All these actions and many others wasteful spending led us to where we are now which if they could be reversed could bring financial reserves for the state"
"But if Ogbeni Aregbesola will not treat this advice with disdain, and henceforth, begin to act as governor of all, we believe at least, he will be able to pay few months of the backlog of salaries owed workers and retirees.

"For the state lawmakers, they must have it at the back of their minds that the fragile hope of Osun indigenes now rest on them and we want to advice that they should not be rubber stamp in the hands of the governor"

"In the next four years, they must do all within their power to rescue the state from the grip of enemies and write their names in gold, the PDP concluded.