Seyi Makinde: My Salary Is N650,000 As Governor Of Oyo State

The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has  that his monthly salary as the state governor is N650,000.

Engr. Seyi Makinde
Oyo state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde

Makinde made this declaration while addressing the newly sworn-in Commissioners in the state as he reiterated his commitment towards finding a lasting solution to the issue of poor remuneration in the civil service.

He maintained that poor remuneration packages could be counterproductive to anti-corruption initiatives.

Also Read: Governor Seyi Makinde Picks 27-Year-Old As Commissioner

The Governor stated that under his leadership, it would not be business as usual, as he would do everything possible to ensure that workers in the state were not exposed to the temptations of corruption.

He said:

“We do have challenges and I can give you an example of the kind of issues that we are faced with. When I was on the podium being sworn-in, I announced that I was donating my salary to the pension board.

“I actually thought my salary was going to be like N3 or N4 million monthly but when I came in here, I discovered that my salary is only six hundred and fifty naira (N650,000) monthly, which is less than two thousand dollars ($2,000). And then, I have a budget of over five hundred million dollars.

“How can somebody earning $24,000 a year preside over a five hundred million dollar budget? The temptation is just too high.

“When I was growing up, anytime I saw permanent secretaries and top civil servants, all around with their entourage, jeeps, Land cruisers, I thought they were making it big because I was driving Peugeot or Toyota Camry.

“But when I came in here, the salary of Permanent Secretaries is under N500,000 per month; in such an environment where you have contractors coming with big temptations. The expectation is just too great and high. But the good news is, we will find a solution to this. It’s going to business unusual in Oyo State.”