We have no knowledge of how Ondo state’s finances are being managed - Speaker

Ondo State House of Assembly Speaker Jumoke Akindele yesterday said the House has no knowledge of how the state’s finances are being managed.

Mrs. Akindele stated this at a meeting organised by the Assembly to resolve the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by workers.


For two weeks, workers have been on strike because they have not been paid for five months.

Already, traditional rulers, led by their chairman, the Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom, Oba Victor Kiladejo, last week urged the workers to shelve their action. But the strike persists.

Governor Olusegun Mimiko has said the state has no fund to pay the workers.

But the Speaker, who was responding to an allegation raised by the labour leaders that the state government has money in its accounts, said she was not aware that the government had many accounts.

Mrs. Akindele said: “It is not our responsibility to know how many accounts Ondo government operates.

“Due to this, we don’t know the state of Ondo State’s finance, but you union leaders can help us with the list.”

She, however, appealed to workers to allow a fresh negotiation to end the two-week-old industrial action.

The Speaker noted that the House was aware of the travails the workers were passing through over non-payment of their salaries.

“We are deeply concerned by situation on ground, but we should look for ways out of the ugly situation and forge ahead, “she said.

Mrs. Akindele, who asked the labour leaders to purge out their grievances, said the House would come out with resolutions on the strike.

According to her, it was the initiative of the House to intervene and find lasting solution to the feud between the workers and the state government.

She, therefore, promised to advise the government to gather the money in the banks and see if it would be enough to pay the workers.

Chairman of Joint Negotiations Council (JNC), Mr. Sunday Adeleye hailed the assembly leadership for its intervention.

But he said the meeting was belated.

Adeleye frowned at the protracted delay of salary payment, saying that it was only means of survival for the workers.

He added that the non-payment of the salaries had rendered the state redundant because it is a civil service state.

The JNC chairman asked the state government to put a stop to all capital projects and pay workers’ salaries.

“No matter the capital projects, they will not put food on tables of workers and what we are asking for is reward for service rendered.

“I must inform you that there is high level of hunger in our society and if we are not careful, there may be civil uprising, which will not be palatable,” Adeleye warned.

source: nigerianeye