We are not responsible for their payment, the state government is- MDG Official
Kemi Busari
Village Health Workers under the Millenium Development Goals (MDG) in Osun State have accused the state government of non-payment of their allowances up to a tune of 19 months.
The arrears which range from 12 to 19 months are monthly allowance of 20,000 to which each of them is entitled to having worked under the MDG Village Health Workers Scheme in different local government areas of the state.
After undergoing the Village Health Workers training workshop last year, the workers reported to their duty post to undertake a contract which is to last for two years.
According to information gathered across the state, the allowances are not paid on a regular basis while some have not been paid since the beginning of the programme despite the fact that the fund has been remitted to the state by the federal government.
Describing the situation as ‘pathetic’ Akinwumi Sunday, the Assistant Captain of MDG in Ayedaade Local Government of the state said that the officials have not been sincere ever since the training.
“We learnt that our allowances are supposed to be more than this. Even our materials are not complete. We are supposed to be given mobile phones, laptops and other gadgets but they don’t give us. They gave us laptop bag without a laptop.
“In Ayedaade, they owe us up to 380,000 each which is an accumulated allowance of 19 months. They paid us 100,000 last year for five months work and since then it has been meetings upon meetings with empty promises, they even threaten us at one time.”
In Boripe and Obokun Local Government, the workers disclose that they have not been paid since the beginning of the programme.
“We have not been paid at all, we started last year December and we have not been given anything. I don’t even know how much our allowance should be because, there are many disparities already.” the MDG captain in Boripe Local Government Folasayo Asiyanbola lamented.
Also commenting on condition of anonymity, one of the workers in Obokun where the workers are owed 13 months allowance accused the MDG official of fraudulent acts.
“During the training, they told us we’ll be earning 20,000 monthly allowance but they’ve not given us 20 Naira up till now.
“When we saw that they are not ready to pay, we gather ourselves together across local governments and realised some fraudulent acts. Some were given 20,000 for training, some 15,000 and some 10,000.
“We held meetings with them like twice but without any result. The programme has change from MDG to SDG and that is why we want to struggle to collect our money before they forget us totally.” He stated.
Awodele Akinola Olaitan, the MDG Captain if Ife South Local Government also pleaded with the government to see to the payment of the allowances as the situation is getting unbearable.
“They owe us for 19 Months in Ife South. We started work February 2015 and since then, they only paid us 100,000 which is a 5 month allowance. Some of them are now hostile to us due to our frequent requests. We learnt that the money has been paid into the state account but we don’t know what is delaying our payment.
“Around September, we went to Osogbo to hold a meeting with the Special Assistant to the Governor on MDG; he said he will do all necessary things to see that we are paid but nothing came out of it. We are pleading to them to please pay us, it’s our sweat and we also have family to cater for”
For Atakumosa East Local Government it was a case of short-changing as it is of non-payment ,while other local government were paid 20,000 as monthly allowance, health workers received 18,000 and for only five month.
Odedele Funsho, the Local Government Captain noted that living has not been easy with the non-payment. ‘We heard that the state government has borrowed the money but they should please consider us too, we need it for our survival’.
In a telephone conversation, Mr Adedoja Adeleke, a Technical Assistant of MDG in the state confirmed the remittance of the fund but noted that the board is incapacitated as it is not with the fund
“I’m not the one to pay their money; you can call the governor of Osun State. My own is just to participate in the work in the State and that i have done, I’m not to pay them”
Adedoja who have received payment for being facilitator claimed that he has no clear-cut information on when the health workers will be paid.
“I’m designated from Abuja to facilitate the exercise and I’ve done my part. They’ve paid me. We are not been paid from the same source, my payment comes from there. The money has been remitted to the state and the state refuse to pay them, so there is nothing I can do.”
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