I have high regards for Oyo workers, says Ajimobi
The governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has said that in spite of the widespread belief that some workers in the state public/civil service did not vote for him and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last elections, he still had high regards for the state workforce.
Indeed, the governor said that the Oyo State public/civil service can rank with any other civil service all over the country in terms of personnel and professionalism.
He made this known at the 60th birthday ceremony of the immediate past State Head of Service, Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu.
Governor Ajimobi said that if his belief in the efficacy and efficiency of the civil service was fifty percent before he came into office, it increased tremendously in his four years of administering the state and encountering the cerebral qualities of the workers.
“I can say that there are so many of them who are very intelligent, knowledgeable and professional, not minding who they voted for,” he said.
According to him, the state had one of the best crops of public/civil servants who had contributed meaningfully to the development of the state.
He expressed appreciation to public/civil servants in the state who voted for him and the ones who didn’t, stating that he would be governor of all, without any doubt.
“When some people say that civil servants would not vote for me, I told them that I had done so many things for them which would make them to vote for me. I have tripled their salaries, trained them in Nigeria and abroad, paid them 13th month salary for three consecutive years now.
“In any case, not less than half of them voted for me and in life, if you have half of a people queuing behind you, you are a success. That is enough for me. I thank them and I appreciate their support,” he said.
The governor promised that, more than before, he would double all efforts in improving the welfare of workers and improve their living and working standards.
He commended the contributions of the former Head of Service, Alhaji Aremu to the development of the state and the civil service, stressing that the large turnout of people who attended the ceremony was an indication that he was very popular among the workers.
“When I worked with the celebrant, I found him to be a man of deep knowledge, very cerebral. Simply put, he is a deep professional,” he said.
He advised workers to continue to support his administration, urging them to be more hardworking and diligent in the performance of their duties, stating that “I am a perfectionist who is not perfect. I demand a lot from the people who work with me.”
Highlight of the event was the launch of a book entitled Living the dream, an autobiography of the former Head of Service.
The former Head of Service thanked the governor and the state government for the opportunity to serve and urged the workers to give their best to the governor and the service.