Olamide Lawal

The governorship ambition of the Ogun State All Progressives Congress candidate Prince Dapo Abiodun received a significant boost as Labour leaders in the state assured him of their supports during the forthcoming governorship election.

They gave this assurance while playing host to the entourage of the APC governorship candidate who visited the state secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Abeokuta to intimate them with his agenda for the workers in the state.

The state NLC Chairman, Comrade Akeem Ambali recounted the ordeal faced by workers in the state under the present Amosun-led administration. He said the state workforce had gone through terrible times in the last two years, urging the oil magnate to prioritize the welfare of workers in the state if elected to office.

“The Amosun led APC government has done terrible things for the workers but thank God they failed to pull us down as they have planned. But we know that we will not judge the worms inside a child by his attitude” He stated.

“We felt reluctant to meet you because of our bad experience in the hands of Amosun. Amosun that sacked Labour leaders, refused to pay contributory pension, delay promotion.
Like I said anyone that want to spoil this APC, it shall not be well with such person” the labour leader concluded.

According to Ambali, “we see you as the topmost contender and soon we will have the desired change in Ogun state.”

“Leyin inira, idera ti de si Ogun state. From March 4th, we would begin to sing a new song in Ogun State. We would sit together when you become the governor and restructure how the state is going to pay deduction, pension, gratuities, leave bonus, etc”. We also implore you to do a ring road for Abeokuta instead of the needless overhead bridges. All the deplorable major roads in Ogun State like Agbara, Ogijo, Ilishan, Ago Iwoye, and Ilaro-Owode road should be addressed” the comrade explained.

The labour leader who was reiterate his passion for the growth of the state advised the governorship candidate to identify what will stimulate the economy, he also wants the Abiodun-led government to pay the new minimum wage of #30,000 after his emergence.

Earlier, former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba who led Abiodun to the labour house assured Ogun state workers of better welfare packages as soon as Dapo Abiodun of the APC is elected as the next governor of the gateway State.

He said, “we have come here today to sign a memorandum of understanding with you to show our commitment to the wellbeing of the workers and assurance to provide good governance when our party is given another opportunity. We would ensure that a committee comprising former government officials and labour leaders is set up immediately Dapo Abiodun is elected as the governor of the State. The committee will strategise on ways to ameliorate the challenges of workers and set agenda for the governor-elect to be implemented as soon as he is swon in.

Hence, I want to humbly inform you that I am standing as a guarantor for Dapo Abiodun and assuring you that he would be a labour friendly governor when elected”.

In his own response, the oil magnate turned politician shared his vision for the state workforce with the leaders of the state workers with a promise not to let them down. He pointed out that the effectiveness and efficiency of any administration depend largely on the civil servants, hence he would prioritize the well-being of workers in order to maximize their potentials and get the best out of them.

“As regards the anomalies being experienced by the leaders of the NLC, we would address this immediately we are sworn in. Those unjustly sacked would be reinstated and their entitlements paid. We would ensure prompt payment of salaries and other deductions” he said.

However, Abiodun submitted his 12 point agenda for the labour leaders which are: Clearing of backlog of salaries, cooperatives dues and deductions by the outgoing government and its predecessor, creation of Ministry of Labour and Productivity to proactively and effectively monitor workers’ welfare and efficiency, appointment of quality Labour Leaders into the cabinet, Acquisition of landed property along Abeokuta/Kobape Road for the construction of Labour Estate, restructuring of the moribund contributory pension scheme and inauguration of state and local government pension boards, institutionalization of government-labour consultative forum that will meet quarterly as a general feed back forum to improve Government-Labour relationship.

Others are: Replacement of promotion examination with efficiency promotion training, appointment of teachers to apex positions to put them at par with their public service counterparts, granting of full autonomy to the local governments and inclusion of labour leaders into the cabinet at the local government levels, annual government grants to the workers’ cooperatives, infrastructural support to the labour unions at state and local government levels, especially in the area of modern Information Communication Technology (ICT) and peer review and exchanges between Ogun labour Leaders and national/international organisations.

The meeting was attended by top leaders of the NLC in the state as well as key members of Dapo Abiodun campaign team.