The Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has approved the payment of another batch of half salary arrears owed by the administration of one of his predecessors, Rauf Aregbesola.

This was revealed in a statement made by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, made available to reporters on Saturday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

Rasheed noted that the move was part of efforts by Adeleke to settle the salary debts of state workers and support them in line with a 2022 governorship campaign promise.

Commenting on the approval, the governor restated his commitment to the faithful implementation of the template for the payment of the inherited salary arrears, adding that the template was a consensus among all stakeholders on how to exit the half-salary trope.

“I want to assure Osun workers that the payment is progressing as scheduled. Despite the tight fiscal situation, we are prioritising workers’ welfare by paying the inherited debt on an instalment basis,” he said. The new settlement of half-salary arrears would be the third by the governor in line with the template issued early this year to pay the debts on a quarterly basis.

Access24 reports that the administration has paid the first and second quarters while workers are to receive the third quarter payment alongside their July salary.

Adeleke made a promise to voters last year to pay the salary arrears in instalments after the administration went on to inherit about N26 billion in half-salary arrears and about N50 billion in pension-related debts from the previous government.