The candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State, Segun Oni, has declared his readiness to rescue workers of the state civil service from wanton poverty and neglect if elected governor.
The SDP candidate, who stated this in a statement issued by EBBB’s spokesman, Idowu Adelusi, in Ado Ekiti yesterday said Fayemi’s hurried announcement of some packages for workers and retirees two days to the May Day celebration won’t avert rejection of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, at the poll.
Oni said: “Governor Fayemi, who again missed this year’s celebration to avoid being embarrassed by the workers who are disenchanted by the unfulfilled promises to them, announced the package to dissuade the workers who had made up their minds to go with the leading opposition candidate, Asiwaju Oni.
Oni, who spoke through a group named ‘Ekiti Build Back Better (EBBB)’, said the state Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi’s alleged refusal to pay promotion, salary and pension arrears as well as over a decade pending gratuity, were responsible for high level poverty among workers and retirees.
“We had earlier predicted that the governor, who will complete his second term in October, would not show up for the programme. He was, however, represented by his deputy.
“The workers, who were poised for a showdown with the government, had planned to embarrass Fayemi, notwithstanding the last-minute carrots dangled to placate them, as they saw the development as rather too late and an effort in futility to convince them to support and vote for his anointed APC candidate.”
Oni posited that he would rescue workers from poverty by giving financial backing to the 2017 and 2018 promotions, pay one year leave bonus out of the four years owed and pay all unpaid salaries.
According to him, “The 2021 May Day celebration was cancelled at the last minute, when it became obvious that the labour leaders couldn’t convince the workers to back down on their plan to embarrass the governor.
“The workers were angry over the unfulfilled promises of Fayemi to them since he assumed office in October 2018, querying the sense in filing out in a parade to salute the government.
“Sensing that the situation had remained the same, the workers had asked their leaders, who tried to persuade them to come to the Pavilion, some salient questions like: ‘What are we to celebrate?
“Is it poverty, hunger, unfulfilled promises, unpaid salaries, unpaid four-year leave bonuses, promotion without financial backing or are you, our leaders, saying we should parade to salute this government for denying us our benefits? If we do that, we are bunch of morons.”