The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has restated his commitment to fulfilling all his electoral promises to pensioners, who had expended their energies serving the state during their productive years.
Oyebanji, who described pensioners as central to the progress of the state, having served zealously in the past, said, “I will protect your interest as governor of the state. As long as we have the resources, all your issues and welfare will be on the front burner.
The governor spoke in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday during a special prayer organised for him by pensioners in the state under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners.
He said, “How could someone work for that number of years and now can’t afford what to eat? This is not good enough. We will continue to attend to your welfare to make life easier for you.”
Oyebanji said he was already working with the Head of Service to ensure more regular payment of gratuity, adding, “By January 2024, we will dedicate a fixed amount for the payment of your gratuity monthly at both state and local governments.
“Labour is agitating for a wage increase for workers, they also have the right. We will look for ways to balance the two. We have to balance everything and make sure everybody is happy,” he said.
NUP State Chairman, Mr Joel Akinola, who said that was the first time such prayer would be organised for a sitting governor, described it as another remarkable step in their relationship with Oyebanji.
Akinola, who described the Oyebanji government as “God-sent” to Ekiti, described the governor as a man of integrity, who valued pensioners and always kept all his promises.
He said, “Governor Oyebanji is a politician, but he is not behaving like a typical Nigerian politician who always deceives people. We are not here to praise him, but we want to appreciate the grace of God in his life. The pensioners are happy with you and we will always stand with you,” the pensioner said.