BY ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA
One of the areas opposition elements make attempts to unseat an incumbent administration is workers’ welfare. It is usually the prayers of the opposition for a governor to be in the bad books of the workers especially owing them arrears of salaries and implementation of anti-worker policies.
The opposition in Ekiti State whether within the ruling party or across other political parties have met a brick wall in using poor welfare of workers as a campaign tool in the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State because Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) has provided excellent welfare package for workers.
As far as the welfare of workers in Ekiti is concerned coupled with excellent relationship with workers, this area has become a bad market for the opposition elements in the Land of Honour. They had wished a strained relationship between the Governor and the workforce, they had wished BAO and workers are at loggerheads but their wishes have turned to nought.
In fact, in the last three years, there have been no single strike action by any labour union in Ekiti State. Since his inauguration on the 16th of October, 2022, Governor Oyebanji has proved through his words, action, policies and programmes that he is a worker-friendly governor.
Landmark days for workers including May Day, World Teachers’ Day, Civil Service Week, Artisans’ Week are events for celebration of the promotion of welfare of workers where the Governor usually reel out the incentives of his administration for workers and what they should equally expect in years ahead.
During his inauguration speech before an impressive gathering of the people of the state and other eminent guests from far and near inside the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion on that fateful day, Oyebanji promised to accord priority to the welfare.
This is because of his belief that workers are very important in execution of government policies and translation of the blueprint of his administration into reality. The Governor sees workers as friends, allies and comrades and not necessarily as their boss owing to his trademark humility.
Gradually and one-by-one, BAO has tackled the various challenges he met on ground confronting the workforce and this has endeared the Governor to public servants. Because of his commitment and being a faithful promise keeper, the arrears of entitlements of workers have been cleared.
These include arrears owed core civil servants, teachers (especially primary school teachers), local government workers. These include salaries, leave bonuses and allowances that were attended to by the Governor.
One of the earliest gestures of Mr Governor shortly after assumption of office which endeared him to the teeming workers was payment of deductions to the workers cooperative societies which has given them access to loans.
From October 2022 to date, a total sum of N3.4 billion has been given out as car and housing loans to workers to enable them carry out key personal projects for their personal comfort and that of their family. The Governor acknowledged that he was a beneficiary of loans when his parents were working which assisted in his education.
Some of the notable strides of the BAO Administration in workers’ welfare include recruitment of 1,500 primary school teachers, 930 subject teachers in public secondary schools, 48 education officers, payment of new minimum wage of N70,000, payment of wage award before the implementation of the minimum wage, free bus shuttle for workers to and fro their workplaces Mondays through Fridays to ease the burden of high cost of transportation occasioned by fuel subsidy removal.
The Governor also ensured the completion of more phases of the State Secretariat Complex which has provided more office accommodation for workers, infrastructure upgrade in offices and schools across the state, approval of career progression for workers, training, retraining and various capacity building programmes. For the first time in the history of Ekiti State, primary school teachers have been given opportunity to reach Grade Level 16.
Workers in the state-owned instructions on subvention have BAO to thank for facilitating increment in their monthly subvention which has rubbed off positively on their welfare in terms of pay rise and other benefits. There has been no single strike in such instructions since BAO came to power.
Local government workers in the state have never had it so good. BAO has worked to improve their welfare and that is why they have formed themselves into a bulwark of support for the re-election of the Governor. In fact, the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) openly declared its support for BAO’s re-election and described him as a model for other governors in the federation in the area of council workers’ welfare.
Apart from regular payment of workers’ salaries, BAO paid five months salary arrears, monthly deductions, leave bonus arrears, payment of N70,000 minimum wage, construction of ultramodern office complex appointment of local government officers as Permanent Secretaries, purchase of new cars for Heads of Local Government Administrations (HLAs), among others.
Many of the local government workers have enjoyed career lifting with the entrenchment of the local council development areas which started with the immediate past administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi and retained by the BAO Administration. With more council areas, more offices of Heads of Local Government Administration, Directors of Finance/Treasury, among others, more council workers were posted to LCDAs to occupy these offices.
All these incentives have made BAO to become the toast of workers who also reciprocate with their diligence to duty. Workers at the core civil service, teaching service, local government service, tertiary educational and health institutions are rooting for BAO and are waiting to deliver massive votes for him.
The state council of NULGE went a step further in their support for BAO by making a donation of the sum of N10 million to his campaign in appreciation of what he has done for local government workers in the state. This is unprecedented in the history of the state.
The state NULGE President, Mr Seyi Olatunde, described the BAO Administration as a “golden era for workers in the state” in which their fortunes have changed for better and they are better recognized as important stakeholders in the Ekiti project.
Governor Oyebanji’s excellent relationship with workers has become a big boost towards his second term aspiration. He has succeeded in not allowing the opposition elements to come in between him and the workers and this has left the opposition frustrated because there is nothing to use to campaign against him on workers’ welfare.
Workers’ welfare in Ekiti State can only get better by the time BAO is re-elected because he has earned the trust of workers in the state for him to continue in office till 2030 for them to enjoy more goodies from their governor.
Ogunmola serves as Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media (Print Media).