Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has finally addressed the state’s disgruntled government servants in an attempt to halt the five-day protest by organised labour unions that has stopped activities at the state secretariat.
While speaking to workers on Monday at the state secretariat, the governor told them that he will continue to prioritise their well-being.
Speaking, Makinde stated that misunderstandings between two sides in a relationship were unavoidable, but that they had been resolved under the united leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The workers grew enraged and began on a week-long protest to press home their demands, which include, among other things, the payment of monthly deductions from workers’ paychecks, the release of 2021 and 2022 promotion letters, and the return of their leave bonuses.
Governor Makinde, who noted that the weeklong protest had hurt the state’s revenue, explained that most of the workers’ demands would require funds to address them, while also stating that he, as the governor, required motivation from the workers, even in the face of perceived infractions in the two parties’ cordial relationship.
While apologising, Makinde stated that some of his remarks during the weekend state broadcast were made out of emotion, and that both the state labour leadership and himself have since apologised to each other, and that peace has been entirely restored.
“Well, I’ve engaged with your leaders, and what we discussed was that some of these things were not meant to happen, so I apologised to them, and they apologised to me,” he continued.
“If there’s one thing I’ve done, it’s that this is our state; governors come and go; I wasn’t here five years ago, and I won’t be here in three years as governor, but our state will endure.”
“So, in everything we do, remember that this is our state, and we have nowhere else to call home.”
Furthermore, Makinde proverbially emphasised that whomever aspires to draw water from a well must not dirty the well: “I told them, you may think you can’t be governors tomorrow, but Oshiomhole became governor in Edo State after being a labour leader.”
“Who says union leaders can’t become governors?” So I informed them that I produced that broadcast in frustration, especially the one about labour, since I also need encouragement, and you’re meant to support me.”
“There are people who do not want progress for our state; they will stand in your way, and I promised them that we would have a meeting with the leadership of Labour every quarter now, so that communication gap would be closed.”
“And for the one week you were protesting, it was a loss, and you can see it in the state’s internal revenue, and most of the things you’re demanding would be sorted by funds, so please understand that there are bound to be misunderstandings in any human relationship.”
Earlier, the state NLC chairman, Kayode Martins, and his TUC counterpart, Bosun Olabiyi, both confirmed that the governor had already agreed to the workers’ requests.
They congratulated the governor, saying he did not truly deserve such outrage after prioritising worker welfare and well-being since the beginning of his term.
They promised that they would continue to collaborate and support the current administration, while also expressing confidence that the governor will solve their concerns.
