Unpaid salaries: Aregbesola won’t sell Osun helicopter, APC insists

The All Progressives Congress has said Governor Rauf Aregbesola will not sell the helicopter purchased by the administration for surveillance purposes.

The Chairman of the APC in Osun State, Mr. Gboyega Famodun, who said this at a press conference in Osogbo on Monday, described the Peoples Democratic Party which advised the governor to sell the helicopter to pay workers’ salaries as ignorant.

Famodun, however, called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to ‘strongly consider a bail out for states’ affected, saying if banks would be bailed out with N4 trillion, it would be a reasonable decision for the FG to bail out states at this moment of crisis.

He explained that the helicopter was bought together with armour personnel carriers  to assist security agents in combating criminals who, he said, held the state by the jugular and raided at will, which led to the closure of some businesses.

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The ruling party, which said the helicopter which was disallowed from functioning effectively by the Federal Government was now generating money to the state through lease arrangement, also backed the governor in building an airport in the state.

The APC added that the state and the Nigeria Airforce were collaborating to build the project, which he said would be of immense benefit to the state when completed.

Famodun said, “On the question of helicopter, the opposition recently gave an unsolicited advice to the state government, asking it to sell its surveillance helicopter. It was an uninformed call. You will all recall the spate of armed banditry in the state prior to our coming.

“The helicopter cost N500 million and it was paid for in five installments. With these measures in place, you now know the difference. However, the helicopter was practically disabled by the federal government itself.

“Before the surveillance machine was bought, the governor built a state-of-the-art Call Centre that will operate with a special security code. The FG-controlled NCC refused, till today, to provide the special code for the helicopter to be linked with ground equipment for surveillance. Thus the surveillance helicopter was effectively disabled.

“The chopper was however put on lease and it is making money for the state and only recalled for use as the need arises. It is one of the sound financial decisions made by the government. We cannot but marvel at the ignorance and mischief of those calling for the sale of the helicopter and the quality of the thinking of those asking government to dispose of an instrument being used for the security of the citizens.”