Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has directed that salaries of all political appointees in the state be slashed by 50 per cent with immediate effect.

The Commissioner for Information and Values Orientation in the state, Muyiwa Olumilua, confirmed this in a statement on Tuesday.

He explained that the pay cut would affect the governor himself, the deputy governor, the commissioners, and all political appointees down the line.

“Salaries of civil servants will not be affected by this directive and shall maintain the status quo. This sacrifice is for the welfare of the Ekiti people, which should take pre-eminence over and above all other considerations,” the commissioner said.

“With promises made to the Ekiti people while seeking their mandate, coupled with the moral duty of improving their welfare, a time for making difficult decisions is at hand, and make them we must,” Olumilua said.

He revealed that the savings from the pay cut would be channelled into the execution, and completion of developmental projects in the state, as previously planned.

Olumilua said the governor took the decision as a result of the ravaging effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

According to him, the global economy has been severely affected, with the depression affecting Nigeria as a nation and Ekiti among other states.

The commissioner added that as a responsive and responsible government, the Fayemi-led administration has taken stock of its financial situation.

He stressed that the constant decreasing receipts from the Federation Account, as well as the state’s dwindling Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has forced the government to wake up to the current realities of its fiscal position.