Seven years down the line, Engr Seyi Makinde, the governor of oyo state and Allied People’s Movement APM Presidential candidate kept to the promise of continuing to prioritize the welfare of workers in the state civil service and local governments, hence the recent upward review of salaries of Junior staff of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso whose salaries were less than that of Nigeria’s minimum wage of 70,000 .
The gesture of the oyo state governor under Makinde was one out of many witnessed in the country.
The staffers who appealed to the governor for salary adjustment/ increment during his official assignment to the institution, expressed gratitude for the gesture as a replication of what is ongoing in the last seven years.
With about 3 billion naira salary wages during its inception of the administration in 2019, Engr Seyi Makinde owing to creation of more employment opportunities skyrocketed the wage bill of the state to over 18 billion naira, with salaries of state workers and local governments paid consistently before the 25th of every month since 2019, not minding the ongoing infrastructural development, increment among many others.
He also introduced as part of workers welfare inspite of increased in salaries that was thrice since it’s inception also introduced some salary advancement with the introduction of 13th months salary.
This is inspite the fact that the seamless employment opportunities granted across board to indigenes of the state in the civil service, it expanded the workforce of the state to more than triple that pushed both the workforce to 130, 000 and the resultant increment in the wage bill running into billions of naira on monthly basis.
The current variable also increased monthly salary expenditure, allowances, pension and gratuity by over 800% compared to 2019 at inception.
With the enabling environment that tripled more than expected the Internally Generated Revenue IGR from down from 20 Bilion Naira monthly to over 103 Billion, without recourse and inconvenience to taxable adults interms of additional burden , but geared towards attracting more development to the state in all areas.
Not minding the meager annual gratuity for pensioners which attracted non payments to beneficiaries before the inception of the present administration, aside increasing payments, regular and monthly expenditure increased from 1 Bilion Naira to 3 Billion Naira which has increased retirement benefits for pensioners.
The present administration also created an enabling environment that led to the reabsorption of the previously disengaged workers after creatijg more employment opportunities and approved backlogof promotions.
The positive development and administrative wizardry of the APM presidential candidate, Engr Seyi Makinde torpedoe the state ratings accordingly from 32nd to 4th Nationally in workers welfare rankings among many others according to the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.
He upgraded the Ladoke Akintola Airport in ibadan moribund to International status where even the governors of state, envoys, visitors both in the private and public sector, Nigeria’s president and his men have utilised on several occasions.
The positive development has changed the narration of the workers of the oyo state government and leadership in it’s entirety at all levels .
Having catapulted workers welfare in oyo state to enviable heights, no doubt when elected as Nigeria’s President under the Allied People’s Movement, APM will be the best thing that will happen to this country.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF, National Publicity Secretary, APM.
