Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has told local government workers in the state that his government would take care of their interests in the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment on LG autonomy.
He said his administration is irrevocably committed to their welfare, assuring that they would not suffer any negative consequences as a result of the new admistrative and fiscal arrangement occasioned by the Supreme court ruling.
The Governor disclosed this over the weekend when he received Local government workers under the aiges of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), who came on a solidarity visit to his office in Ado Ekiti.
The workers, led by leaders of the union and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), were at the Governor’s office to thank the Governor for the completion of the Local Government Service Commission Building as well as other policies of the government that had promoted the interests of the workers.
Citing various peogrammes and policies of the Government, the workers said they would work assiduously for the Governor’s second term in office .
They described his election in 2022 as a worthwhile mandate well maximized for the interest of all Ekiti people, adding that they would mobilize support for his re- election.
The Local government workers, who spoke through their representatives led by the President, NULGEN, Comrade Oluseyi Olatunde, said the entire staff of local government in the state were irrevocably committed to Governor Oyebanji’s second term bid owing to the landmark achievements of the Governor through his visionary leadership and tireless efforts aimed at moving the state forward.
Comrade Olatunde, affirmed that Ekiti is tremendously lucky to have Governor Oyebanji in the saddle at a critical time like this stating that the governor had been able to bring Ekiti out of infrastructural decay and deliver local government workers from economic quagmire by activating economic prosperity and transformation through his mantra of share prosperity.
The NULGE president highlighted some of the governor’s achievements in the local government to include regular payment of pension to retirees, release of lump sum of N1.2Billion for payment of arrears of gratuities as well as payment of six months arrears of salaries and four months of deductions to both local government workers and primary school teachers.
While commending the positive disposition of the Governor to the plight of local government workers, Comrade Olatunde applauded payment of 2017 and 2018 leave bonuses, appointment of two additional Permanent Secretaries for the Commission, and forty five heads of local government administration, completion of the new secretariat complex for the commission as well as regular promotion of staff among others. He noted that all these and many more have endeared him to the heart of all Ekiti both at home and in the diaspora.
“We are here to say thank you for providing robust leadership. In less than one year in office, our health workers that have been marginalized and discriminated against for more than thirteen years, and you graciously put an end to this by approving and implementing health consolidated salaries for our health workers, thereby putting them at par with their counterparts in the state employ. A development that put an end to two salary regimes among health workers in the same sector.
The Governor stated that he had not done anything that is spectacular, adding that appreciation should be given to God and President Tinubu who provided the needed resources for his administration to thrive and which enabled him deliver dividends of democracy to the people.
He commended NULGE for being supportive of his administration before, during and after the election as some of them weathered the storm together with him to get people vote for him assuring them that on no account will he disappoint them.
“I don’t want any of you to be afraid of whatever is going to be the outcome of Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy. We are going to look at what is happening in other states and give you the best.
“If there is anyone to thank, its President Tinubu, because he provided all the resources for us to do it. If Asiwaju has not shown favour for us in Ekiti, no matter how well I tried, I may not have been able to do this.
The president is supportive of our administration in Ekiti state. “Whoever doesn’t believe in God, by what is happening today, must know that it can only be God. I will not ascribe anything to myself, everything you said I have done, it’s not me that is doing it, it’s God that has answered your prayers. I was looking at your faces this morning, and I know you are all happy.
On new minimum wage, the governor assured that council workers, primary school teachers and pensioner are being considered and he would not append his signature on any document until all workers are considered.
He added “I am not a governor of core civil service alone, I am a governor of all of you, because when so many workers in this state were sitting on the fence, you took a position and I can see that everywhere”. He stated.
