Osun State’s All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Finance Commissioner, Wale Bolorunduro, have traded allegations over who initiated the controversial modulated salary scheme that affected civil servants between 2015 and 2017.
During the period, workers on grade level 14 and above received only 50% of their entitled salaries, while those on levels 8 to 13 were paid 75%.
The policy, introduced during the administration of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, sparked widespread debate and criticism among workers and political observers.
The APC, through its spokesperson Kola Olabisi, alleged that Bolorunduro, who is an ally of current Governor Ademola Adeleke and served as Finance Commissioner under Aregbesola between 2011 and 2014, suggested the idea to the then-governor. Olabisi said the party’s governorship candidate, Oyebamiji, should not be linked to the policy.
“It is a pity that the embattled state governor and his cohorts are so forgetful that they find it difficult to remember that it was Wale Bolorunduro, Adeleke’s advisory consultant on economy and former Finance Commissioner under Aregbesola, who is widely known as the undeniable architect of the half-salary regime in the state,” Olabisi said.
He further credited Oyebamiji, who succeeded Bolorunduro as Finance Commissioner in 2017, with restoring full salaries and reviving the state’s economy. “Oyebamiji was the Messiah who rescued Osun State from the scourge of the half-salary regime, returned full salary payments, and implemented vibrant socio-economic reforms across all sectors when he took office,” Olabisi added.
Responding to the allegations, Bolorunduro dismissed the APC’s claims, insisting that he had already left office before the policy was introduced. “I left government on November 26, 2014, when Aregbesola dissolved his first-term cabinet. Within fourteen days, he formed his second-term cabinet, and my name was not included,” Bolorunduro said.
He explained that the Labour Committee responsible for recommending the modulated salary, formed in July 2015, did not include him because, according to information he received, he “would not allow them to cut salaries and wages.” He urged the media to check the Labour Government Committee list and the official communique to verify who signed on behalf of the government.
Bolorunduro also pointed to other members of the Aregbesola administration who were involved in state policies before and after his tenure as responsible for the half-salary structure.
