…Oyebanji reveals reasons for zero strike in three years
The entire workforce in Ekiti State under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and secondary school teachers in the state under the auspices of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) have adopted Governor Biodun Oyebanji as their preferred candidate in the June 20 governorship election.
The workers’ body and secondary school teachers’ union said their decision was based on improved workers’ welfare and general conditions of service under the administration of Oyebanji in nearly four years in office.
At separate strategic engagements the Governor held with the two bodies in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, they pledged to mobilise their families, colleagues, friends, dependants, fellow worshippers, neighbours and their communities to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate at the forthcoming poll.
The state NLC Chairman, Comrade Kolapo Olatunde said all the 35 affiliate unions have met, resolved and adopted Oyebanji as their preferred candidate and would work in favour of his re-election because of the belief that workers’ welfare package would be consolidated during his second term.
Olatunde said Oyebanji has employed more workers into the state workforce and made available several benefits including appointment of workers into prestigious positions, regular payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities, payment of arrears, approval of leave bonuses, donation of buses to unions, free bus service for workers, among other several benefits.
The State ASUSS Chairman, Comrade Olusola Adigun, at the parley with the Governor at their state secretariat, said Oyebanji has delivered and fulfilled all promises made to the union hence the desire of his members to reward him with massive votes during the June 20 governorship election.
Adigun, who also doubles as the National President of ASUSS, said Governor Oyebanji needs a vote tally that is above 500,000 which explains why the union has raised a group known as BAO Grassroots Coordinators to galvanise support for the Governor in the grassroots.
The ASUSS boss said secondary school teachers in the State are grateful to the Oyebanji for being the most responsive and the best teacher-friendly leader in the history of the state.
According to him, the secondary school teachers have never had it so good in the history of the state in terms of welfare they have enjoyed under Oyebanji. He said teachers are ready to reciprocate with votes at the coming poll.
But Oyebanji who appreciated the workers and teachers for their tremendous support revealed the secret of why there has been no single strike by workers or any labour union in the last three years of his administration.
The Governor said the good relationship built with workers, giving them listening ears, according priority to their welfare and making efforts to boost their standards of living are reasons why there has been no industrial action under his watch. He said his relationship with workers will always get better.
Oyebanji used the opportunity of his engagement with ASUSS to canvass support for APC not only at the governorship poll but also at the presidential election in 2027 to ensure a bigger vote tally for President Bola Tinubu whom he said has done so much for Ekiti in the last three years.
He appealed to NLC and ASUSS members to mobilise other people who possess voters’ cards to polling booths at both the governorship poll and presidential election and ensure that they vote APC for them to reap better benefits in years to come.
But dwelling on why Ekiti has enjoyed industrial peace since his ascension to power in 2022, Oyebanji said it was down to the grace of God, seeing the members of the state workforce as his friends and always making sure that the get the best welfare package within the ambit of state resources.
He said: “I am here just to say thank you and thank you. I want to say and appreciate everybody for the fact that since we came to office, we have not recorded a single strike in our state. I want to say I am grateful to teachers and I am grateful to entire workers for this feat.
“I am grateful for your true love, I am grateful for your understanding, I am grateful for honouring my mum and my parents, my mum is not here again but she belonged to this profession and you are treating me as your son.
“Whatever are your rightful demands, when you bring them to my attention, you can be rest assured that they will receive my speedy attention. In the last three years and seven months, I have enjoyed tremendous and undiluted support from you and I cannot recall any Governor that has enjoyed that kind of grace.
“It is a grace that I will not take for granted and it is a grace that I will continue to pray to God that I will continue to do things that will always make us to be friends.”
Senate Leader and Chairman of the Oyebanji Re-election Campaign Council, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, canvassed the support of NLC and ASUSS for Oyebanji’s re-election which he noted would deliver better welfare package for them.
Bamidele also charged them on the need to deliver massive votes for President Bola Tinubu in the January 2027 presidential poll on the strength of what Ekiti has so far benefited under the APC-led Federal Government.
The forum was attended by the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye; Director General of the Campaign Council and the lawmaker representing Ekiti North in the Senate, Senator Cyril Fasuyi; Secretary to the State Government, Prof Habibat Adubiaro; Head of Service, Dr Folakemi Olomojobi; Chief of Staff to the Governor/Secretary of the Campaign Council, Mr Oyeniyi Adebayo; retired labour chieftains, among others.
