As workers across the nation mark this year workers day, Oyo state government has lauded the efforts of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State chapter for the their resilience and hard work towards nation building and a better Oyo State
Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade gave the applaud in a statement on Thursday while celebrating with Oyo State workers
Prince Oyelade noted that as a young reporter he had the privilege of covering the landmark amalgamation of the Nigeria Labour Congress held at the Parliament Building in Ibadan in 1978 where Comrade Hassan Sunmonu was elected as the NLC President then.
The Commissioner explained that governor Seyi Makinde in 2019, during his inaugural speech pledged to ensure the prompt payment of workers’ salaries on or before the 25th of every month and has kept to the pledge
Oyelade further revealed that with over 130,000 government workers, the Makinde administration now has the largest workforce not only in the South-West but also in the South-East and South-South regions.
The commissioner maintained that over ₦18 billion is paid monthly as salaries to government’s workers representing an increase of over 800 percent compared to the 2019 baseline.
Prince Oyelade congratulated the Oyo State NLC on Workers’ Day and commended the Union for its sustained support for the Makinde administration.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Oyo State Council, Comrade Kayode Martins, noted that the state government under Governor Makinde has taken deliberate steps to restore dignity to retirees through structured gratuity payments and the clearance of long-standing arrears.
According to him, the government initially increased gratuity provisions to ₦1 billion. Following a request by the union for an additional ₦500 million to raise it to ₦1.5 billion, the governor further reviewed it upward to ₦3 billion annually to ensure full settlement of outstanding obligations over time.
The NLC Chairman stated that the policy has strengthened confidence among serving workers regarding the security of their benefits upon retirement.
Comrade Martins who commended the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde for reabsorbing previously disengaged workers, described it as a corrective measure to addressing past injustices, as well as for approving backlog promotions, which he said has boosted morale among civil and public servants.