Ajimobi, at workers’ day rally, urges immediate release of abducted 234 girls
Apparently worried by the continued incarceration of the 234 students of Government Girls’ College, Chibok, Borno State, by members of the Boko Haram sect, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, on Thursday, used the occasion of the Workers’ Day celebrations to charge security agencies to do everything within their powers to secure the release of the girls.
The 2014 edition of the Workers’ Day celebration was held at the main bowl of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan where the workers from both the public and private sectors converged in their large numbers to savour the joy of the occasion through match past and other activities.
Governor Ajimobi, while delivering his address, said that all parents across the country must be worried by the state of the girls, adding that they all must join hands in prayers to get them off the hook.
“I wish to condemn, with all the fibers in my being, the abduction of the over 200 Secondary School girls in Chibok, Borno State.
“Each day the girls spend in the grueling dungeon of the insurgents is a painful day to every parent all over the world. I hereby call on those saddled with the security of the nation to do everything possible to rescue these innocent girls without further delay,’’ he said.
The governor also promised that the enhanced salary package currently being demanded by the civil servants in the state would be addressed before the end of May.
He said that already, a committee comprising both government representatives and labour had been constituted to work on the enhanced pay, adding that as soon as the committee submitted its report, the recommendations would be implemented with immediate effect.
“Before the end of May, the committee will come up with a percentage of the enhanced pay. Once the committee comes up with its recommendations, we will implement it with immediate effect,’’ the governor said.
While acknowledging the contributions of the workers to the development of the state and the success story of his administration, Governor Ajimobi said that any government that underplayed the role of its workers was on its way to stagnation.
“No matter the vision of politicians, their sincerity of purpose and their thirst for development, workers constitute the engine room where this vision is baked and made ready for actualization.
“We are also working in partnership with the organized labour because we are aware that its role is to cater for the welfare of its members. It is for this reason that the leadership is always unrelenting until its demands are met.
“We salute the developmental roles of the founding fathers of labour unions in Nigeria and Oyo State. The role played by the labour movement in entrenching democracy in Nigeria is too enormous to be ignored. They have always been at the forefront of the fight for the rights of the common man,’’ he said.
His administration, he said, had been a beneficiary of the constructive criticisms and dialogue of the organized labour, stressing “I dare say that the achievements of this government in the area of labour relations are an outcome of this beneficial synergy’’.
In his address at the occasion, the state Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Bashir Olanrewaju, commended the Ajimobi administration for its commitment to the welfare of the workers in the state, saying that this was unprecedented in the history of the state.
He particularly lauded the state government for allocating a large chunk of this year’s budget to education, urging government to ensure the judicious use of the money.
