Ogun State workers will soon smile, as Governor Dapo Abiodun has said his administration is working towards implementing the new minimum wage.
The governor, who said this at a meeting with the leadership of organised labour at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, noted that workers had been instrumental in the economic growth the state was experiencing.
He promised the union leaders that Ogun State would not take second place in the implementation of the wage.
Abiodun said: “On the new minimum wage, all hands are on deck working assiduously, and I am sure that as always, we will not be number two in the implementation of the minimum wage.
“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 pleaded for continued partnership from organised labour, stressing that their cooperation had led to economic prosperity, as the state budget had increased from less than N400 billion at the inception of his administration to the current N703 billion, with performance at 80 per cent.
The governor added that the state was looking at a trillion Naira budget for next year’s appropriation.
He said he initiated the meeting as part of efforts to engage stakeholders involved in the movement of people to find solution to the current situation caused by fuel subsidy removal.
Abiodun, who took time to explain the intricacies of the oil sector, acknowledged that the current realities were the fallout of the Federal Government’s decision, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to reposition the country’s economy for sustainability.
He said as a responsible government, his administration had put measures in place to cushion the effects on the people.
“We have begun an energy transition programme by converting our mass transit buses to CNG and launching electric motorcycles and tricycles.
“On Monday, we met transport unions. They demanded that we should ramp up the availability of these alternative means of fuelling transportation in the state and widen the scope because of the success they have recorded.
“The Federal Government is making rice available for us to sell at subsidised prices to everybody. It is also providing us with 500 CNG kits that we will use to convert 509 commercial vehicles so that we can reduce the cost of transportation”, Prince Abiodun added.
The Federal Government, he said, would send 20 CNG buses in the first instance to the state, while the state government would provide 100 CNG buses to transport unions. He noted that transportation costs were expected to be reduced by 50-80 per cent, as more people would embrace electric motorcycles and CNG vehicles.
The governor attributed fuel scarcity to operational and financial issues, ‘’while hike in pump prices is due to subsidy removal and floating of the Naira’’.
“With all that has been put in place, with all hands on deck and commitment to energy transition, by the time we have transitioned from over-reliance on petrol to CNG, to electric vehicles and other forms of energy, you will begin to see that the cost of transportation, which is where the problem really lies, will begin to drop’’.
State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Hameed Benco, appreciating the governor for always making organised labour part of his decision-making process, stressed the need to enforce price regulation, as traders had taken advantage of the economic situation to exploit people.
The Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Akeem Lasisi, advocated that workers should operate from their homes until the situation improved, while the Joint Negotiation Committee Chairman, Comrade Isa Olude, called for measures that would give relief to workers and pensioners.
Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, thanked the governor for allaying workers’ fears, noting that he had demonstrated capacity and strong will in dealing with issues concerning workers’ welfare and well-being.
