Flamboyant Nigerian monarch, Oluwo of Iwoland, Rasheed
Akanbi has said the Osun State Government might be unable to sustain its
current wage bill let alone pay the new N30, 000 minimum wage unless it
overhauls the civil service.
The monarch who expressed concern about the new minimum wage
bill passed by the Senate, while many states were still struggling to pay N18,
000 to the least paid workers, said the state civil service was over-bloated
and needed a complete overhaul.
Oba Akanbi said, “Osun is sick. The governor, Oyetola, may
not be able to say this truth because he is a politician. But I am a royal
father. I should be good to tell the truth always. It will be tough for the
state to pay the new minimum wage, unless there is a complete overhaul of the
civil service.
“The current wage bill of the state government cannot be
sustained. The civil service needs overhaul.
A situation whereby 26 drivers will be attached to two vehicles must
stop.”
As part of ways out of the situation, the royal father said
unproductive civil servants must be made productive by government and be
deployed where their skills would be useful. He added, “Also, aggressive
revenue generation through internally generated revenue, especially from the
informal sector, would be of help to government.”
