•Seyi Makinde
The Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has declared that workers and pensioners in the state would receive a monthly cash award of N25,000 and N15,000 respectively for the next six months.
He noted, however, that the workforce and the people of the state would have to work with the state government to develop the economy of the state for the long term, as according to him, once there is economic prosperity in the state, everyone would be touched.
The governor stated this when he addressed the workers at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, during a solidarity rally, reports Channels TV.
He noted that though his administration would love to work on legacy projects for which it would be remembered decades after he leaves office, it would continue to look after the welfare of its workforce.
Makinde maintained that the wage award of N25,000 and N15,000 respectively for workers and pensioners would be paid for the month of October and subsequently for another five months until an agreement is reached on a new minimum wage.
He added that the cash award would result in an additional N2.2 billion on the state’s monthly wage bill, stating that there are many gaps to be filled in the state cutting across the infrastructure, health and education sectors, hence the need for understanding from the workers.
He said, “We have been talking with your leaders but one or two things I have to point out first is we should ask ourselves how come Lagos that is only 120 kilometres away has an IGR of N60 billion monthly but we are struggling with N3.5 billion or N3.8 billion. It was N1.8 billion when we came in during our first tenure.
“So, we must decide that we want to work to lift the economy of Oyo State. If we provide economic prosperity in Oyo State, it will get to everyone. I am asking you that we have to partner to achieve that vision.”
The governor told the workers that he had held a meeting with labour leaders and had reached an agreement.
He said, “So, what we agreed when we met was I said yes, there is the need to cushion the effect of the economic challenges on the workers. The Federal Government did N35,000 and I said what can we do in Oyo State and we have agreed that we would do a cash award too.
“We agreed that pensioners will be given N15,000 cash award monthly, while workers will get N25,000 monthly. If you want to negotiate further, it is okay. But this cash award will add N2.2 billion to the wage bill of Oyo State.
“We must know something, that we have the workers, and we have the generality of the people as well. Oyo State’s population is between eight and nine million, how do we look after them? Everyone is going through this serious hardship.”
Makinde added that the state had put in place the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) initiative, which comprised interventions through food relief, ease of transportation, empowerment of farmers, agripreneurs and small scale business operators as well as health insurance for residents and pensioners to mitigate the effects of the economic hardship on residents of the state.
He explained that the wage award is meant to make things go well for workers, and by extension the teeming population of the state.
In his response, the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State, Kayode Martins, said the declaration by the government had ended all grievances, saying, “We appreciate and are grateful to His Excellency on this development and I think that will take us to some level.
“All the stakeholders were there at the meeting and I can tell you that the agitation has ended. We are no longer aggrieved with the government.
“The governor spoke to the people and they reached a conclusion. So, what else do we have to do? The governor agreed to start the payment in full from October and we feel that it is a very good point to start from.”
