Aiyedatiwa’s 344 aides to gulp over N1.5bn amid 240,000 out-of-school children crisis

The administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State will spend over N1.5 billion on the newly appointed 344 Special Assistants’ salaries annually, according to findings by Thefrontrank.

According to data, the appointment of the SSAs and SAs is to gulp about N1.5 billion in payment of salaries and other allowances annually from the state government treasury.

This is as the state is battling with 240,000 out-of-school children crisis and dilapidated classroom buildings in public schools in the state.

Ebenezer Adeniyan, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, who announced the appointment on Friday, September 6, said it was a “continuation of efforts to enhance governance and service delivery to the people of the state.”

According to Adeniyan, the new appointments are spread across the 18 Local Government Areas, 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and 203 political wards in the state.

No portfolio was attached to their names fuelling the allegation that they were appointed primarily as “Local Government and Ward canvases” for the November 16 governorship election.

Latest data from the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, a special adviser will receive N380,241.76 monthly as salary.

This amount to N4,562,901.12 as the yearly salary of a single special aide, excluding accommodation, furniture, medical, severance gratuity and other allowances.

Each of the aides will receive over N4.5 million yearly as salary, this amounts to over N1.548 billion which would be earned annually by the 344 newly appointed aides, excluding those appointed earlier.

Thefrontrank reports that in February 2024, the Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board said it had recorded no fewer than 240,000 out-of-school children in the state.

The Chairman of the Ondo SUBEB, Mr Victor Olabimtan, who made the disclosure at a news conference in Akure, described the development as alarming.

“From the statistics, Ondo has 240,000 out-of-school children. This is alarming. But it is not happening only in Ondo State, that is how the problem is in other states of the federation,” Olabimtan stated.

The state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, however, described the appointment 344 Special Assistants as ill-timed and profligacy on the part of the government, while New Nigeria Peoples Party said it was a misdirection of government priorities.

Also, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the state while reacting to the appointment, said it contained “mostly fading politicians” that would be used for the forthcoming governorship election and dumped.

“The sole purpose of this appointment is to use them(appointees) to canvas for votes for the November 16 governorship election and after that, to your tent Israel. They’re to be used as Local Government and Ward canvases.

“In fact, many of them may not receive more than three months salary before they will fade away,” the chieftain said.

A political analyst, Abraha Odudunwa, described the appointment of 344 aides by the governor as “indirect vote-buying”.

“The governor is indirectly using the state finances to buy votes for the November 16 election,” he noted.

He described the appointment of the 344 aides as an “abuse”.

“It shows that the government is only interested in getting some votes from people (appointees) who are going to get at least two months salaries before the conduct of the election. That is why I called it an indirect vote-buying,” he said.