Workers in the State of Osun, on Saturday, openly declared their unflinching support for the administration of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and endorsed him for second term.

The state workforce also commended Oyetola for his commitment to their welfare and well-being since inception of his administration, describing him as a father.

This is even as the Governor lauded workers in the state for their hard work, sacrifice, selflessness and commitment to duties towards building a better and more prosperous State.

Speaking during the celebration of the year 2021 Workers’ Day, organised by labour movement in the State, at the City Stadium, Osogbo, the State Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Jacob Babatunde Adekomi, attributed the successes recorded by the labour movement to the unalloyed support given by the state government in the last two and half years of the present administration.

According to him, Oyetola deserves to be commended in view of his uncommon leadership traits that he has exhibited to turn around the fortunes of the State.

While describing the Governor as a ‘father not a boss’, Adekomi said, “though you are firm and highly principled, but the father in you had made the movement to record some successes and put smile on the faces of our teeming members.”

The labour leader who enumerated some of the achievements of the administration with direct impact on the lives of the workers, said despite the global economic quagmire, the Governor had proven his commitment to workers’welfare as reflected in the fulfilment of his constitutional obligations to workforce.

“Mr. Governor, we make bold to say, in you we have a father not a boss. Though you are firm and principled, but the father in you has made the movement to record some successes and put smile on the faces of our teeming members without a single day of strike since the inception of your administration, which no doubt is the fulfilment of the promise of God.

“Though the economy of the world and indeed that of Osun state is in critical state, yet the father in you had given the workers in the state the new minimum wage since November, 2020 while some other states who are economically solvent/bouyant than Osun state have not implemented the minimum wage and some who had earlier approved are now reverting to the old minimum wage of eighteen thousand naira.

“It is also to the credit of this peaceful administration that some staff members of the Osun State owned tertiary institutions earlier relieved of their jobs by the immediate past administration were reinstated, while some members of staff of Osun State University Teaching Hospital were equally upgraded.

“The restoration of Annual Salary Increment is a project that has put smile on the faces of workers in the State just as your administration equally gave financial implication to one of the multiple promotions earlier enjoyed, with the strong believe that as a man of his word, you will give financial backing to other promotions earlier earned as contained in the agreement entered into with the movement.

“Mr Governor, you have never as a father given us serpent instead of fish neither have you extended to us stone instead of bread. We shall continue to appreciate you on the monthly subventions and release of funds by your administration to the payments of Contributory Pension Scheme and Outstanding Gratitude.

“Your Excellency, the project of Osun is a clarion and divine call to you, you have been given the assignment of bringing succour to Osun people, you have been given the assignment of wipping away tears from the faces of the citizens of the State, you have been given the mandate of putting balm on the sore of the people of the State.

“You have started Well and Almighty God will see you through. Sir, we are partners in progress, together we shall take Osun to higher ground,” Adekomi added.

He therefater promised the workers’unalloyed support to the Governor and his government in order to ensure the sustainability of the ongoing developmental projects, saying “you can count on the resolve of the entire workforce to improve upon the Internally Generated Revenue of the State by reinvigorating our dedication to duties and plug leakages whenever discovered.”

In his remarks, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, said the administration was unapologetically people-and-worker-centred hence the uncommon commitment and dedication of government to good governance.

The Governor who attributed the unprecedented transformation recorded by the State, since its creation 30 years ago, to the unquantifiable role played by the state workforce, said it was incumbent on his government to always celebrate the quality of the workers that the State was blessed with.

He charged them to reciprocate the government’s gestures by ensuring increased productivity and efficient service delivery, as part of efforts for the government to generate more IGR to make the state financially sufficient,.

“It is only when our IGR increases that the government will be able to carry out its statutory function of regular payment of workers’ salaries and other emoluments in the face of dwindling monthly allocations from the federation account to states,” he noted.

The Governor who used the occasion to reel out some of the achievements of the administration since inception, said his government has been conscientiously and consistently engaging the needy and vulnerable citizens in small scale businesses as part of efforts to make them productive and self-dependent.

He posited that the government has also been empowering the teeming youths in entrepreneurial and productive ventures to make them contribute their quota to the socioeconomic development of the state, and take their place in the competitive world.

“All this is a deliberate strategy to make the good life embedded in our Development Agenda go round as we are unrelenting in driving our Development Agenda to sustainably achieve our economic transformation vision for a prosperous Osun.

“Recall that I mentioned in the 2019 speech to you that we are conscientious in our efforts to make Osun economically independent. This decision is on course, the Covid-19 lockdown and other impediments notwithstanding.

“We are reviving our economic landscape through the diversification of our economy in the areas of our strength such as agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing. We thank all our workers who are our right arms in these areas for their relentless cooperation, innovation and creativity,” Oyetola added.

Earlier in his remarks, the State Chairman, Joint Negotiation Council, Comrade Bayo Adejumo, extolled the leadership quality of Governor Oyetola and reiterated the workers’ commitment to continue to support the administration in the actualisation of its developmental agenda aimed at turning around the fortunes of the State.

Comrade Adejumo who announced the workers’ endorsement of the Governor for a second term, said “we are solidly behind you for a second term. The decision was necessary in view of the numerous achievements of the administration in the last two and half years particularly the unquantifiable role of the administration to redefine and reinvigorate the civil and public service for the betterment of all categories of workers in the state.”