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Edo State Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, has urged workers to show patriotism and be dedicated as a way of guaranteeing the country's development. Oshiomhole, a former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in his address at the May Day rally in Benin City, said no nation with a lazy and unpatriotic workforce could develop.
He said: "Today, I only hear voices of ethnic champions. Where are the patriotic people of Nigeria? Everybody has become ethnic champions. I ask you to be dogged in the fight for Nigeria; it must not be politicised. We should be united against Boko Haram insurgents, we should be united against terrorism.”
On the competency test for teachers in primary and secondary schools, he said: "The bitter truth is that it is for the betterment of the state and our children."
He told the teachers that the competency test must go on and hope they would cooperate.
"I know today will be a difficult day because it will be eye ball to eye ball and I know it is going to be particularly difficult because of who you are and who I am. Nothing has been said that I did not expect. Teachers are the greatest, no controversy, but the greatness must be revisited.
No matter the disenchantment in our hearts today, I did not start by building ultra-modern government house like other governors will do, I did not build presidential guest house for our guests, but I insisted that we must build new schools. If I made such investment to build new schools and I have proudly showed them on television, I pray that God will give me the courage to look at those teachers who are not doing enough and tell them so," he added.
The governor also said disengaged workers of Edo Line would be reinstated and their salaries restored.
Earlier, primary school teachers had expressed their anger over the compulsory competency test initiated by the state at the Workers Day rally as they marched past the governor without the customary salute as was the case for the over 50 trade unions that participated in the rally.
We’ve not been promoted in eight years, say Plateau workers
Workers in the Plateau State Civil Service yesterday complained that not only have they not been promoted in the past eight years, their salaries, which the administration of Governor Jonah Jang promised to pay before the end of every month, have not been paid in the past two months.
The workers, who were at the May Day celebration in Jos yesterday, therefore called on the state government to address their complaints.
Chairman of the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Jibrin Bancir, while speaking at the occasion, said: “This is a government that pledged the payment of salaries before the 25th of every month. Today, two months down the line, no salary has been paid.”
He said local government workers and primary school teachers were worse off as they had not been paid their salaries for four months while those among them who had retired were not paid their retirement benefits.
As the unions filed out to take part in the march pass, Bancir took the salute with the state Head of Service, Ezekiel Dalyop, who represented Jang at the occasion.
While the head of service made no statement regarding the grievances of the workers, Special Adviser to the Governor on Labour Matters, Mr. Samuel Kwamku, told reporters that the delay in promoting workers and payment of salaries were caused by the need to verify genuine workers and hitches in collecting the state's share of the Federation Account.
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