Workers in Ekiti State have assured Governor Biodun Oyebanji of their readiness to mobilise more than 500,000 votes for him in the June 20 governorship election.
This according to the workers is a demonstration of their appreciation for his administration’s worker-friendly policies and improved welfare.
The workers, in their thousands, staged a “thank you walk” to the Governor’s Office in Ado Ekiti on Thursday as part of activities marking this year’s May Day celebration, drawing participation from civil servants across various MDAs, and workers in all affiliate unions of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Speaking at the Governor’s Office, where the walk terminated, the NLC Chairman in Ekiti State, Comrade Kolapo Olatunde, described Governor Oyebanji as a worker-friendly leader who has consistently demonstrated genuine commitment to the welfare of workers. He said the administration’s prompt payment of salaries, deductions, pensions, and gratuity alongside other labour-friendly reforms, has restored confidence in the public service.
The NLC Chairman further stated that that Ekiti workers got a good deal during the minimum wage negotiations courtesy of the Governor, in addition to other interventions on behalf of the workforce. For these reasons, he said workers in the State have resolved to mobilize themselves and their family members to ensure that the Governor secured over 500,000 votes in the June 20 gubernatorial election .
He maintained that the decision was a collective one aimed at expressing their gratitude for the administration’s consistent responsiveness to workers’ needs and its commitment to improving their welfare.
Comrade Kolapo maintained that the era of workers staying indoors to monitor elections over the radio was over; stressing that Ekiti workers will moblise their families and friends to vote massively for Governor Oyebanji, adding that the Governor had restored confidence in governance through his consistent engagement with workers and visible commitment to their welfare as well as in the areas of infrastructure and human capital development.
According to the NLC Chairman “workers now feel directly involved in the democratic process because of the administration’s responsiveness, transparency, and people-oriented policies geared towards workers’ welfare. We have chose to repay the governor with our votes.”
Addressing the workers, Governor Oyebanji expressed his profound appreciation for the overwhelming show of support from the workers, describing it as unprecedented in the history of the state.
He described the workers’ gesture as a strong motivation to do more for the people of the State, noting that the gesture reflects the growing trust between government and the workforce, which he said remains a key pillar of his administration’s development agenda.
The Governor, however, urged the workers to direct their gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for creating an enabling environment for states to meet their obligations to workers and the citizens.
Reiterating his administration’s commitment to sustaining policies that improve welfare of workers, Governor Oyebanji said whatever he has done for the workers was within their right, as well as part of his duties as the Governor. He added that his administration intends to do much more for them in terms of welfare.
He thanked the workers for their demonstrated support for his administration, and for their commitment towards his re-election for a second term.
The Governor noted that elections are not won on social media or by political noise, but by tangible achievements that directly impact on the lives of the people, stressing that he remained focused on delivering results that will speak for themselves when the time comes.
Oyebanji said he had chosen to concentrate efforts on delivering quality service to the people, while ignoring social media distractions, adding that the June 20 governorship election result would be his response to distractors and social media noisemakers.
The Governor said “let me start by expressing my gratitude and appreciation to all of you for coming out this morning, I am humbled and this is extremely emotional for me because this is the first time this will happen in this state.
“My charge to you this morning is that, all those achievements you have listed, the credit after God, goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because he is the one that has enabled us and provided us with the resources. Through his bold reforms and I am happy that your caps are bearing “workers voice for President Tinubu”
“Let me also use this medium to appeal to all the contestants in the forthcoming election, to play by the rule. As far as we are concerned in my party, we have pledged before God and the people that our campaign will be issue-based and that is why you will not see me respond to all the shenanigans on the social media because is not necessary, we are going to respond once and for all and that will be June 20. For all the wailers on the social media, June 20 is our response”.
Also In her remarks, the Head of Service, Dr Folakemi Olomojobi expressed appreciation on behalf of workers to the Governor for his worker-friendly programmes and policies which have improved the living condition of workers across board.
Dr Olomojobi said the workers decided to turn out in large numbers to say thank you to the Governor for his three and a half years of remarkable progress, prosperity and compassionate leadership which has resulted in pay parity, minimum wage, regular payment of salary, payment of leave bonuses as well as promotion arrears which have since been cleared.
Dressed in white t-shirts and caps, the workers marched from the terminal, at New Garage to the Governor’s office at Oke Bareke, distributing leaflets that detailed the Governor’s key achievements.
