The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the June 18, 2022 poll, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, on Friday held a meeting with leadership and members of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) as part of consultation visits that had taken the APC’s candidate in campaign visits to several segments of Ekiti people.
The event, which featured the presentation of the Memoradum of Understanding between NULGE and Oyebanji, took place at the NULGE House in Ado-Ekiti and had in attendance the leadership of the commission led by the Chairman, Samuel Abejide, where Oyebanji pledged worker-friendly administration if elected governor on June 18 election.
Oyebanji was received by a huge dancing crowds of local government top officials and staff in a show of love and support that overwhelmed the visitor, who was accompanied by top party leaders, including former Head of Service, Deji Ajayi; SSA Labour to the Governor, Yemi Esan; Rt Hon Taiwo Olatunbosun, Comrade Ade Ajayi, Comrade Joseph Arogundade and Comrade Kolawole Olaiya.
Olatunbosun described Oyebanji as a friend of the people who was reared and educated in Ekiti and married to Ekiti woman and who understood the feelings and aspirations of Ekiti people to be trusted with the political leadership of the state to deliver credible policies that will lift the people to greater heights.
He said the testimonies of Ekiti people since Oyebanji started his campaign consultations were evidence of his acceptability among the people, stressing that the governorship candidate was a marketable leader that would be loyal to the aspirations of Ekiti people for progress and development.
Comrade Ade Ajayi said Labour leaders were not supporting Oyebanji for nothing but that the support was a function of thorough assessments that returned the candidate as the most credible man to lead the state.
Former Head of Service, Deji Ajayi, said as a former front runner for workers in the civil service, he retired voluntarily to continue rendering quality service to the state, stressing that he would advise local government workers to vote for Oyebanji to continue the implementation of the agreement with the local government workers by Fayemi’s administration.
He added that in the local governments visited, the unanimity of opinion was that Oyebanji was the best to lead the state as a people-friendly politician.
NULGE President, Babatunde Olatunde, described Oyebanji as an incredibly generous man ever ready to lend support for the needy. He said it was heartwarming that Oyebanji, who “workers are comfortable with” was the one who God had raised to lead the state.
He said local government workers were supporting the continuity agenda because of the faithful implementation of the campaign promises by Governor Kayode Fayemi.
He urged Oyebanji to support in efforts to pay the outstanding workers’ benefits, including ensuring a comfortable office accommodation for the staff of the Ado West Local Council Development Area.
Olatunde presented the charter of demands by workers as a mark of pact as the election gets underway.
He canvassed for “restoration of 10 percent allocation, restoration of local govt functions” that were usurped by the state, placing of HLAs on consolidation salary as in other states, appointment of additional seven permanent secretaries, appointment of local government staff as the Permanent Secretaries in the Ministry of Local Government and Primary Health Care Agency, even as he said that JSMC should be allowed to manage its finances while office accommodation for Local Government Service Commission for a befitting and conducive working condition should be looked into.
He added that salary payment platforms should be decentralised to take care of the comfort of local government workers and canvassed for the integration of palace staff into the e-payment platform to easy payment of salary.
Others are full implementation on CONHESS to local government workers like their state counterparts, including local government autonomy and appointment of medical doctors in the PHC as Permanent Secretaries instead of appointing such Permanent Secretaries from the state civil service.
Presenting NULGE’s Memorandum of Understanding to Oyebanji, Olatunde said: “On behalf of workers, NULGE is presenting Oyebanji as the candidate to support in the June 18 governorship election.”
Oyebanji thanked the workers for their support for the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi.
Saying that he shared the same local backgrounds with many people at the event, including parental background and educational pursuits, he said he had his primary, secondary and university education in Ekiti State.
He said he was a product of the same environment the workers lived, assuring that he would do his best to alleviate the problems associated with payment of deductions and other benefits for improved standards of living. He also assured that he would create access for people to relate with him in government.
He urged workers to seize the opportunity of producing the homeboy governor after 26 years of the creation of Ekiti State even as he thanked many present in the meeting that had been campaigning for him in the last few months.
Declaring that he did not indulge in self-glorification, he said he was convinced that God had a purpose for raising him to lead the state, assuring that he would be faithful to the Ekiti people, even as he added that he would ensure the payment of salaries and benefits as a right and not as privilege.
Warning against violence ahead of the election, he declared: “If you vote for APC on June 18 governorship election, I will make you proud.”
Oyebanjip listed the political positions he had held in the past, including his foray into private business, stressing that none of the other aspirants had the experience he had garnered over the years.
“Some of these aspirants are already enmeshed in formulating bad policies and they will face the consequences of such slips, but I can assure you that I will never get myself involved in such mistakes because I have the experience,” he said.
He told NULGE that he would study the pact with workers and later give them the feedback for implementation.
“I know you are working under low capacity at present but we are going to ensure that you are fully engaged to do your job effectively for better results. We are going to work together. I will serve you and ensure that when I am leaving, one of us living here will be raised to take over from me,” he declared.
He said after leaving the government, he would stay back in Ekiti ” by fire and force” for more jobs to be done to make Ekiti State better.
Other government functionaries at the event included Commissioners Febisola Adewale, Segun Onaade, Wole Olujobi, Dele Oloje, Bisi Dada, Princess Bunmi Agunbiade-Omosola and the Commission’s Permanent Secretary, Babatunde Jegede, who spoke on the sensitisation visits to all the local governments, reeling out the “unparalleled achievements” of the commission and the need to sustain the legacy by supporting the continuity agenda of the state government by voting for Oyebanji in the June 18 governorship election.
Others present are former Permanent Secretaries Mayowa Oyedeji, Tayo Olauyi; Executive Secretaries, Heads of Local Government Administration, Directors, Sectional Heads and hundreds of staff from across the state.
* Wole Olujobi,
Deputy Director of Media and Publicity, BAO Campaign Organisation
June 3, 2022