Gov. Amosun says Nigerian governors cannot pay salaries because they fail to think outside the box

Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, yesterday said the reason why some governors could not pay salaries and fund their states well was because they have failed to think outside the box.

Amosun, who spoke during a meeting with Organised Private Sector at the Government House, Abeokuta, said; ‘’The era of free money from Abuja had gone.’’

He added that the development had made governors become endangered species among their people. While reacting to the allegation of mismanagement of bailout by governors, Amosun said it was erroneous to accuse governors of mismanagement of the bailout funds released to their respective states by the Federal Government.

He declared that the responsibilities of state governments have actually grown beyond current resource allocation. According to him, the huge depletion in the nation’s revenue owing to falling oil price has made it imperative for Nigerians to think out of the box. The governor said stakeholders should not remain complacent about the economic situation of the country but must work harder to diversify into agriculture and other non-oil sectors.

He noted that oil dependence made Nigerians be lazy, calling for the need for partnership between the government and the private sector to revitalise the nation’s economy. On the spate of militant attacks rocking riverine communities in Ogun and neighbouring Lagos State, he said the government was working to tackle the emerging security threat.

Amosun alleged that some traditional chiefs and residents of the affected communities connived with the suspected militants to engage in oil theft, noting that the creeks would soon be cleared of criminals to secure government’s investments.