Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has reinstated the payment of salary to workers employed in the twilight of the last administration.
“The Governor has directed that the workers be paid their May and June salary. As a statesman and father to all, His Excellency believes the government should not punish these workers for decisions they didn’t take,” Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The workers are popularly known as ‘sunset workers’, with most governors often disengaging them for fear that they had been engaged to wrong foot the new administration. Former Governor Bukola Saraki sacked all the workers his predecessors had engaged in 2003.
“This Governor dares to be different. He has shown good will and magnanimity to all. It is expected that the affected workers will do their part by serving the state diligently,” according to the statement.
AbdulRazaq has also approved the sums of N100m gratuity to demonstrate his commitment to the welfare of retirees, the statement added.
The last administration had in the twilight of its reign recruited hundreds of workers into the civil service, including teachers and ministry workers.
The recruitment triggered allegations that the beneficiaries were mainly members of the People’s Democratic Party in the state and that the due process was not followed in engaging them.
“The Governor’s action is another practical demonstration of his pledge to never victimise anyone for their perceived affiliations. He has therefore resolved to restore their salary,” Ajakaye said.
AbdulRazaq, meanwhile, continued his tour of government facilities in the state on Wednesday, with visits to some markets in the Ilorin metropolis where he pledged to give them basic amenities like water, access roads and solar-powered electricity.
