Amosu equally said he was unable to secure job placements for some of his relations in a recruitment exercise in the state because they were not qualified while denying that his government had favoured his family’s members.
The governor said this on Sunday at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, while answering questions from panellists drawn from civil society groups in one of the programmes organised to mark the 2016 Democracy Day.
The event, which was convened by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Ogun State chapter, gave the governor the ample chance to speak on some of his policies in the last five years.
The governor noted that the fall in the price of crude oil in the global market had not only affected the Federal Government but also the states.
He said allocations to states from the Federal Government had dwindled, stating that the next allocation to Ogun might be less than N1bn.
Amosun stated, “All these challenges are surmountable, but I must state that we are in Nigeria and the state does not exist in isolation.
“The allocation to states from the Federal Government has dropped significantly. In the past few months, the state did not get allocation up to a billion naira. And the wage bill every month is about N9bn.
“As a government, we will continue to look for ways to ensure we pay the workers and give the dividends of democracy to our people. Though we are not yet where we should be, we will not relent.”
Amosun dismissed the insinuations that he did not do anything about six indigenes of the state, who were killed by stray bullets, when smugglers and men of the state command of the Nigeria Customs Service clashed at Oke Odan two months ago.
He said he had always held consultations with the security agencies in the state.
The governor also denied running a government of nepotism, arguing that in a recent employment exercise, he could not secure job placements for his family members because they did not qualify.
He, however, said he had to stop the latest process because it was compromised by the top officials in charge.
He ruled out constituting a probe panel on the recent collapse of government building in Itoku Market, Abeokuta, explaining that the state government had built over 30 buildings which had not collapsed.
Amosun said he had to take full responsibility for the collapse because “whether good or bad, I am in charge.”
While reacting to media report that the government had not visited the family of the person who died in the building collapse, the governor stated that more than seven persons had come forward and claimed to be the victim’s dependants.
He said his government would compensate the deceased’s family and ensure the deceased’s children were well taken care of.
The state Chairman of CDHR, Yinka Folarin, commended the state government on its giant strides in urban renewal.
He advised the government to embark on massive rural development projects.
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