The Ekiti State government has released the arrears of promotion of 37,132 of its workers in various arms of the state’s workforce as part of the celebration of the 2018 Workers’ Day in the state.

The state governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, who announced the promotions, explained that it was to cover the arrears of three years of pending promotions of the workers in the state.

Governor Fayose, who announced the promotions while addressing the workers of the state on the occasion of the 2018 May Day, also reiterated his assurances to the workers that he would not leave the state as a governor indebted to the workers.

The workers, according to the governor are those in the civil service, 11,718; Health Management Board (HMB), 1,429; Teaching Service Commission (TSC), 9,476; parastatals, 857; State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), 6,739 and Local Government Service Commission (LGSC), 6,913.

He, however, lamented the inability of the state government to meet up with its obligations on salaries and bonuses, saying it was a direct result of the poor federal allocation that was coming to the state from the federal government.

Fayose, who thanked the workers for “making me a man of history in Ekiti State, me that didn’t have a name you made me the second governor of Ekiti State”, he called on them to ask questions regarding the excess from the crude sales by the country.

According to him, Nigeria’s budget was based on “about $45 but now crude oil sells for about $75 per barrel. Where is the excess going to? The NLC must take on the Federal Government on the excess funds. The federal government has refused to share the excess funds coming into the coffers of the government and the Supreme Court said there should be no excess crude account.”

He congratulated the workers on the occasion and presented to them his deputy, Professor Kolapo Olubunmi Olusola, whom he said they should support to emerge as the governor of the state in the July 14 election in the state.

Earlier in their addresses the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by Mr. Raymond Adesanmi and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr. Odunayo Adesoye, both lamented the arrears of their salaries and said “payment of gratuity has assumed a worrisome state, workers that retired from 2013 till date while those of 2012 are not yet all received.”

The unions demanded for “lateral transfer and easy conversion”, just as they demanded for sundry welfare. (Nigerian Tribune)

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