Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, on Sunday, appealed to organised labour, requesting their patience and willingness to engage in dialogue. He stressed the importance of reevaluating their planned nationwide industrial strike to prevent further complications in the already tense country.
The workforce has officially designated October 3 as the kickoff date for their nationwide strike, emphasising that it will be all-encompassing and without a defined duration.
Oyebanji, in his statewide address celebrating both Ekiti State’s 27th year of existence and Nigeria’s 63rd independence anniversary, extended an appeal to the labour community.
‘We cannot afford to compound the already tensed situation by shutting down this extremely fragile economy. It will be like cutting one’s nose to spite one’s own face.’
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‘Whatever may be gained thereafter will be nothing but a temporary victory which would have done an incalculable damage to the economy and which may be difficult to reverse in the immediate.’
‘Therefore, I want to appeal to the organized labour movement to exercise absolute patience and dialogue in resolving the current economic challenges’, he said.
The governor added, ‘A hot pap must be sipped gently so as not to cause more damage unto an already precarious situation. Accordingly, government and labour have been in constant engagement for sometimes, I am pleased to note that the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is confronting these challenges frontally and the country will be better for it in the long run.’
‘On our part, we (Ekiti) have undertaken some interventions to cushion the impact of the subsidy removal on our people. Apart from the direct food distribution and cash transfer to the most vulnerable, government has also made buses available to staff and students, especially in the state capital, to ameliorate the cost of transportation.’
‘We therefore appeal to our local governments to replicate this in their respective local government areas.’
Oyebanji expressed appreciation for the contributions of the state’s founding fathers and all governors who preceded him.