Ogun State workers will soon smile as the state Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has stated that his administration is working towards ensuring the state does not take second place in implementing the new minimum wage.
Governor Abiodun, who made this statement during a meeting with the leadership of organised labour, at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, said the meeting was part of efforts to engage stakeholders in finding solutions to the current situation caused by the fuel subsidy removal, noting that workers had been instrumental to the rapid economic growth of the state.
“I have told my team that we should roll up our sleeves; we should work as hard as we can without putting undue pressure on our people. We should be creative, more efficient, block loopholes and increase our revenue, so that we can afford to pay the new minimum wage comfortably, and by the grace of God, we will not be second in terms of implementation”, he said.
He solicited continued partnership with labour unions in the state, emphasising that their cooperation had led to economic prosperity with budgetary increment from less than N400 billion at the inception of the administration to the current N703 billion and performance at 80 percent, just as the state was projecting a trillion naira budget for next year’s appropriation.
He added that as a responsible government, his administration had put several measures in place to cushion the effects on the people, such as conversion of the mass transit buses to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and launching of electric motorcycles and tricycles.
“The federal government is making rice available for us to sell at very subsidised prices to everybody. The federal government is also providing us with 500 CNG kits that we will use to convert 509 commercial vehicles so that we can lower the cost of transportation”, he said.
The governor said the federal government would send 20 CNG buses in the first instance to the state, while the state government would provide 100 CNG buses to transport unions in the state, assuring that transportation costs were expected to be reduced by 50-80 percent, as more people embrace electric motorcycles and CNG vehicles.
Abiodun revealed that farmers’ markets would be set up in the three zones across the state, to enable people to buy foodstuffs at affordable prices, while a task force, comprising transport union executives and law enforcement agencies had been established to monitor arbitrary hikes in transport fares.
Also speaking, the Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, appreciated the governor for allaying workers’ fears and demonstrating the capacity and strong will to deal with issues concerning workers’ welfare and well-being.
On his part, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Hameed Benco, while appreciating the governor for always making organised labour part of his decision-making process, stressed the need to enforce price regulation, traders had taken undue advantage to exploit the people owing to the current economic situation.
He also called for a special arrangement to convey workers and students in primary and secondary schools to their offices and schools in mitigating the hardship.
Contributing, the State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Akeem Lasisi, advocated that workers should work from their homes until the situation improves, while the Joint Negotiation Committee Chairman, Comrade Isa Olude, called for measures that would provide relief to workers and pensioners.
