Contrary to assurances given by the Ekiti State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joshua Olatunde Kolapo, that the May Day celebration will hold in the state on May 1, the Ekiti Build Back Better (EBBB) said it has gathered authoritatively that the celebration may not hold, after all, “as the state’s workers are poised for a showdown with the government.”
The group said the “anguish and distrust” between the labour and the John Kayode Fayemi-administration, which led to the cancellation of the May Day celebration in the state last year had persisted and even grown worse.
EBBB further gathered that Governor Kayode Fayemi, in order to stop the plan by the workers to embarrass him should he decide to attend the rally which is the last for his administration to witness, had promised to give financial backing to 2017 and 2018 promotions; pay one year leave bonus out of the four years, and probably pay part of the unpaid salaries.
It was learnt that findings by the EBBB, a pro-Segun Oni Campaign Organisation group, revealed that the workers were angry over the unfulfilled promises of Governor Fayemi to them since he assumed office in October 2018, querying the sense in filing out in a parade to salute the government.
The group said the workers have asked: “What are we to celebrate? Is it poverty, hunger, unfulfilled promises, unpaid salaries, unpaid four-year leave bonuses, promotion without financial backing or are our leaders saying we should parade to salute this government for denying us our benefits?
If we do that, we are a bunch of morons.”
According to the spokesman of the group, Idowu Adelusi, in a press statement issued in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, on Thursday, “the government gave money to the labour leaders last year for the May Day celebration.
Uniforms and souvenirs had been bought.
“However, the labour leaders advised the government to cancel the programme when it became obvious to the leaders that the workers had concluded to use the rally to embarrass the government.
EBBB added that so far, the relationship between the workers and the government had grown worse, prompting the majority of the workers to decide not to vote for the anointed candidate of the state governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, who they perceive would continue with the “repressive policies of his godfather against the workers.”
“The workers and pensioners have made up their minds to give their votes to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate, Asiwaju Segun Oni, who they have rated as workers and pensioners friendly, due to what he did for them during his first term administration.”
Adelusi said the group gathered that if the rally would hold, the governor might not attend it, but probably send a representative, due to a security report that the workers were poised for a showdown with the government.
“The workers have accused the governor of impoverishing them, rating his administration as the worst in the history of the state, queuing behind Niyi Adebayo’s administration which had cited zero allocation from Abuja as a reason for owing the local government workers many months of salary arrears.”
Source: The Sun
