TheCable

Adams Oshiomhole, governor of Edo state, says workers in the state have started getting bank alerts for their salaries.

Speaking on Wednesday during the All Progressives Congress gubernatorial election rally, Oshiomhole said “workers are the engine of growth” in Edo state.

The governor also took series of swipes at the Peoples Democratic Party, which he says has deep hatred for workers.

“The choice is between two political parties, one which in seven and half years has redefined governance and another which in 10 years treated workers shabbily.

“When Nigeria was doing well and PDP was in government in Edo State, don’t forget, the first thing PDP did with Ize-Iyamu as Secretary to Government was to dismiss about 7,000 civil servants. They sacked them, because, according to them, they wanted to reduce labour cost, when actually they wanted to take the money and privatise it.

“That is not all they did. When they dismissed the workers, they didn’t pay them their pension, they did not pay them their gratuity. So I need our pensioners to remember that the PDP carried out retrenchments, but we never carried out retrenchments, I never carried out mass dismissals in our public service.

“When PDP were here, they issued a circular to the Head of Service, banning employment into the public service. They stopped employment into the State Health Management Board. When I came in, I lifted the ban, recruited Civil servants and employed over 1,000 teachers.

“When the PDP were here, in four months, five months, six months, Nigerian Union of Teachers will remember, with Ize-Iyamu as Secretary to Government, they were not paying salaries and the teachers had to alternate on which days to attend classes to make ends meet, the classrooms were leaking with potholes inside the classrooms. So many male teachers left, leaving only the women who were hoping that one day God will intervene and God intervened and APC came.

“Today, I am proud to say of the 36 states in the federation, the Edo teacher is the first to be paid and we are up to date in the payment of teachers’ salaries, whether primary school, or Junior Secondary School or Senior Secondary School.

“I am proud to say that in Edo State, teachers are the most prominent to be paid and we will continue to pay them, no going back.

“In Edo State, we see the worker, not as a cause agent, we see the worker as the engine of growth if properly managed and that is why even this week, if you are in the employment of Edo State government, you are already getting alert, so God win!

“So, even the one omission, when Egor was omitted, I’m happy to say that this week, not next, those Egor Local Government workers will be paid. So I believe in the worker.

“When they said the minimum wage was too high, I said no, it is too small and we increased it from N188,000 to N25,000. They said it’s a May Day joke, but we are already paying it, even those on Level 17. And by the way, the highest level for an Edo public servant was Level 16, today they can go up to Level 17 like their Federal counterparts, because for me, the Edo worker is not inferior to their Federal counterparts.”