Osun APC, Wale Bolorunduro Disagree On Who Was Proponent Of ‘Half Salary’ During Rauf Aregbesola Administration
Osun State APC and former Commissioner for Finance in the state, Dr Wale Bolorunduro on Monday sharply disagreed on who was the proponent and architect of half-salary payment during the Rauf Aregbesola administration.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, a former Minister of Interior, served as governor of Osun State between 2010 and 2018, and the payment of half-salary to workers were then considered the best course of action by his administration.
The state APC and Dr Wale Bolorunduro , who served as Commissioner for Finance during the Rauf Aregbesola administration, in separate statements issued on Monday disagreed on who proposed the idea of having workers in the state on half pay.
Osun State APC not only condemned the Governor Ademola Adeleke administration but also accused it of issuing an arrant and thoughtless press statement that wrongfully claimed that its guber candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji who is popularly called AMBO, was the architect of half salary in the state.
‘It is a pity that the embattled state governor and his cohorts are so forgetful to the extent that they found it difficult to remember that Wale Bolorunduro, Adeleke’s advisor and consultant on economy and former Finance Commissioner under former governor Rauf Aregbesola, is the undeniable architect of half salary regime in the state.
It is a statement of fact that the Adeleke government is the worst in the history of the state based on its numerous verifiable monumental failures across all the sectors and no amount of defamation of character can safe him from losing the forthcoming governorship election in the state’ the party submitted in a statement issued in Osogbo and made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by its Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi.
The party also asserted that Dr Wale Bolorunduro was the Finance Commissioner at the time of the commencement of the modulated salary payment under former governor Aregbesola.
‘It is verifiably recalled and still fresh in the memory of the discerning people of Osun State that Oyebamiji was the Messiah who rescued Osun State from the scourge of half salary regime and returned the state to the path of full salary payment, vibrant socio-economic reforms and improved transformation of all the sectors of government when he became the Finance Commissioner in 2017.
It will be recalled that Oyebamiji was the Managing Director of Osun State Investment Company Limited (OSICOL) throughout the period that the half salary structure lasted and only came in on appointment as the Finance Commissioner to stabilize the economy of the state during the tail end of the Aregbesola government which he successfully carried out by stimulating the finances of the state and returning Osun to the path of full salary payments.
It is quite unfortunate that the current Governor Adeleke administration is battling with dementia suffered from the myriads of political yokes that have engulfed the entire system. We are not surprised that the Adeleke government has shown clearly its incompetence and gross lack of vision to effectively administer the affairs of Osun State that is made up of sound and discerning minds.
How on earth would a reasonable government state that a man without any blemish in the person of our highly cerebral, marketable and sellable gubernatorial candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji , who is popularly called AMBO, was the Finance Commissioner during the era of half salary?
This is not only fallacious but it’s far from being logical, it’s unreasonable and it’s devoid of common sense. We are all alive as witnesses to the political trajectory of Oyebamiji as the Managing Director of OSICOL, the position he held until his appointment as Finance Commissioner in 2017.
He was only appointed at the tail end of Aregbesola’s government to stabilize the economy of the state and ensure the payment of full salary to the workers, a task he successfully carried out before the expiration of Aregbesola’s tenure.
Oyebamiji was not at any point in time instrumental in the modulated salary payment but instead God used him to stabilize the economy and ensure full salary payment immediately he was appointed as Finance Commissioner.
The recent statement in this regard by the government is nothing but a mere conjecture as it holds and conveys no message since the members of the public know the truth’ the statement said.
Osun State APC also noted that party members in the state are in upbeat mood ahead of the 2026 guber election because Oyebamiji’s candidacy has attracted so many people and earned the party a great commendation.
‘Our candidate has been a man of integrity, dignity and faithfulness whose innate qualities and inborn virtues have endeared him to many people. We are proud of his impeccable track records.
Oyebamiji’s candidacy has attracted so many people and earned our party a great commendation within and outside the party and we are very optimistic of winning the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State.
It is pertinent to tell Governor Adeleke, his government and PDP/Accord that their cry is not now, they will wail till eternity for their malfeasance and maladroitness that they have fraudulently injected into the political space in the state in the last three years.
No doubt, your fears and intrigues are quite understood since the emergence of Oyebamiji as our party candidate. The entire world knows that Adeleke’s government is a monumental and irredeemable failure.
You have woefully failed the people of the state not only among the youths but across other critical sectors.
As at today, Governor Adeleke administration has paralyzed and sacrificed the youth ministry on the altar of vindictiveness and political vendetta as it is not an overstatement to observe that nothing is functioning on Adeleke’s watch.
The Ministry of Youth has become a subject of ridicule, corruption and nepotism. Osun youths have been subjected to avoidable hardship that ordinarily a serious government would have averted judging by the humongous resources at Adeleke’s disposal.
As at today, ineptitude, corruption, impunity, gross partisanship and flagrant disobedience to the rule of law have become the order of the day on Adeleke’s watch.
But one thing that is assuring is the fact that the Osun people are watching and eagerly ready to send Adeleke’s government packing in the August 8th, 2026 gubernatorial election.
As a progressive party, we will not go dirty like the Adeleke government that lacks decorum and dignity, instead we will only remind them of their ills that are too late to cure as their days in government are numbered’ the statement added.
Reacting to the statement issued by the state APC, Dr Wale Bolorunduro in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com on Monday submitted that he was not the proponent of ‘half salary’ as claimed by the leading opposition party in the state while also asserting that nothing like that existed during his commissionership.
‘My attention has been drawn to the press statement issued by Mr Kola Olabisi of APC party on the issue of their half salary policy which they sustained till June 2018.
There is a need to set the record straight to stop them from misleading the public. I left the government on November 26, 2014, when Aregbesola dissolved his cabinet after the end of his first term and Aregbesola, within fourteen (14) days, appointed people to key government posts.
Aregbesola did not however dissolve the Management/ head of government-owned companies, which include OSICOL and so many of them and party stalwarts found themselves playing major roles in the Labour committee.
Salary and monthly pensions were paid in full till November 2014. I have left office for more than ten (10) years now, but I can remember that we paid for the month of August 2014, I can remember that we paid before due date to prevent electioneering activities from delaying salaries. No serious government under a democratic arrangement will go into an important election with half salary.
During my time, I even dug out Abacha pension adjustment arrears of N3.6billion, abandoned by previous governments, which was paid up to 75 percent before I left office in November, 2014.
If you have refused to promote civil servants and deliberately blocked annual step adjustment (on the salary scale) that were necessary and process-driven, you have done half salary policy too. Which of them that they didn’t do between July 2015 and November 2022? So, it is not only what they are defending now, there are other crimes they need to explain too. They should stop blaming people, who left government in 2014.
When the Labour Committee headed by one of the principal members of Aregbesola administration was formed in July 2015, my name was conspicuously missing from the list of Government Committee Members because I had already left government since November 2014.
I was reliably told that I was not to be involved because I wouldn’t allow them to cut salaries and wages. I kept my cool because that reason is tenable enough and I knew I wouldn’t allow that policy, if I were to play an active role . When I was an executive in Zenith Bank, I told my boss (Mr Jim Ovia) that, it is only Human Resources Department that I cannot work because I don’t know how to cut wages. To me the Labourer deserves his wages and that’s what the Bible says. I want the media to check that Labour – Government Committee List to know the members.
When that committee recommended the so-called modulated salary scale, I want the media to check, who signed the communique on behalf of the government. There were some elements in that government, who were with former governor Rauf Aregbesola before his government was formed in 2010, who were with him, before we joined his cabinet in 2011 and who, remained with him, after I left his cabinet. They were with him in Lagos, when they formulated the plans and programmes of Aregbesola. They should be the one to explain the rationale behind the policy of paying half salary to certain categories of workers after I had left government.
The Osun state Government got Paris Club refund about 60 billion Naira between February 2017 and June 2018, which was supposed to form input into expenditures (salary etc), meanwhile half salary was still paid, and they called it Modulated Salary. Check Quantitative Analysis theory, where they have borrowed that title of the Policy to see, if it makes sense to pay half salary, even, when you have windfall of revenues and you called it Modulated.
A 60 billion Paris Club Refund is a windfall to a state, whose annual revenues from FAAC was 48 billion Naira. It was their priority and beliefs that simply made them to stick to half salary and to apply the windfall the way they liked. I mean those, who were in Government with Aregbesola. It was mischievous. When the policy was stopped six (6) months before November 2018, the people trying to blacken the image of others now, were not the ones, who went to convince Aregbesola, I know who went to convince him. They should stop name calling for policy they recommended and chaired the committee, who recommended it? They have benefitted by serving in Aregbesola second term and by succeeding him. They have made bones and they should crush them.
That Governor Ademola Adeleke has prioritized payments of salary and pension is commendable. I am happy to be confirmed as his ally, my relationship with late Governor Isiaka Adeleke made me to always support them. I was the campaign chairman in 2014 and 2015 for APC Oriade/Obokun and the late politician gave me support as a party man so as to ensure electoral victory for my party at the material time. I cannot deny them now, moreover their administration is doing well’ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you.
