Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has
revealed that his administration has paid over N20 billion as arrears of
gratuity to retired workers in the state since 2020.
Senator Diri spoke on Tuesday during the inauguration
of the secretariat building of both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the
Trade Union Congress (TUC) at Amarata, Yenagoa.
The complex, built by the state government, was
inaugurated by the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
Governor Diri stated that the edifice symbolised the
harmonious relationship between labour and his administration, stressing that
more would be achieved when there is industrial harmony.
He said workers welfare had always been a top priority
of his administration.
His words: "When we came on board, the issue of
outstanding gratuities and pensions were on the front burner. We immediately
made it as a matter of policy to ensure that our senior citizens were respected by paying their arrears over the
years.
"At this fifth anniversary of our administration,
we have paid over N20 billion as gratuity and pension to retired citizens and
we will continue to ensure that they receive them. Before we leave office, we
would have cleared the backlog."
Diri appreciated labour in the state for always
resorting to dialogue instead of industrial action whenever there was
disagreement and promised to always work with them to improve their welfare.
The Bayelsa helmsman explained that his Rivers
counterpart was chosen to inaugurate the project due to his commitment to the
welfare of workers in his state and as a career civil servant who attained the
peak of his career.
Speaking on the issue of more homogenous states for
the Ijaw ethnic nationality, the Bayelsa governor urged the Ijaw National
Congress (INC) to work towards the creation of Toru-Ebe and Oil River states.
He noted that the balkanisation of the Ijaws into
different states has given them a minority status in those states, stressing
that only Bayelsa was created out of the three states demanded by the Ijaws.
He equally stated that it was an anomaly for Bayelsa
to have only eight local government areas, saying it was an injustice that
should be corrected by the federal government.
According to him, the creation of local government areas should have been the
responsibility of states based on their ability and capacity to fund the number
they create and not the current situation where local governments were created
by the Federal Government and funded with the resources from the states.
In his remarks, Governor Siminalayi Fubara commended
the Diri administration’s worker-friendly posture.
Fubara advised labour to work harmoniously with the
government, adding that they would be
the most affected if there was industrial crisis.
He said his administration would continue to work with
his Bayelsa counterpart in the interest and development of both states.
"For 16 years, there was friction between Rivers
and Bayelsa states but under my administration, we will work with you bearing
in mind that you are a sister state and whatever the issues were, we have
settled out of court."
In their joint address, presidents of the NLC and TUC,
represented by former Bayelsa State NLC Chairman, Comrade Ebipre Ndiomu and
Austin Jonah, respectively, said the edifice was a testament of the
collaborative effort between labour and government and would be used to
strategise and advance the cause of labour.
The labour leaders also appreciated Diri for his
worker-friendly policies and urged workers to reciprocate the gesture through increased productivity.
In his address, the Commissioner for Labour,
Employment and Productivity, Chief Odoko Omiloli, explained that the NLC and
TUC complex was a double-winged and double-annexed one-storey building that
would serve as a one-stop structure for the activities of trade unions in the
state.
Chief Omiloli, who said the project was inherited from the previous administration of Senator Seriake Dickson, added that it was revalidated and awarded in December 2022 to January Aboroebi Nigeria Limited, an indigenous construction firm
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