Commentary: Obiano – The Most Outstanding Governor On Workers’ Welfare

WRITTEN BY COM GODDY IBEKWE

The Federal Government of Nigeria, last week, announced Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state as the winner of the 2018 Award as the Most Outstanding Governor On Workers’ Welfare. The award, which is part of the 2018 Nigeria Public Sector Summit and Awards, is being organized by the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government (The Presidency), Abuja, in collaboration with the House of Representatives Committee on Governmental Affairs.

According to the award confirmation letter from the organizers, Governor Obiano is being recognized out of others in the thirty-six states in Nigeria and Abuja for his “labour-friendly policies, prompt payment of wages and salaries, as well as commitment to human capital development”. The award proper will hold on Saturday, December 1, 2018 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

No doubt, every rational thinker should applaud this remarkable pronouncement by the federal government of Nigeria, bearing in mind the outstanding and exemplary disposition of Governor Obiano to the welfare of workers and pensioners in the state. It would be recalled that the multiple award-winning governor, soon after his inauguration on March 17, 2014, keyed into the vision of the United Nations by recognizing the imperative of a motivated workforce. This, he proved, by increasing workers salaries by fifteen percent in 2015.

In addition, his administration formulated an unprecedented policy of ensuring that on or before the twenty-fifth of every month, workers smile to the banks to receive their salaries. This feat has made workers to nickname the governor the “alert governor”. Furthermore, Akpokuedike has demonstrated in unmistakable terms that workers’ welfare is sine–qua-non to enhanced productivity by ensuring that every year their leave allowances are paid along their December salaries. Also, workers are given a bag of Anambra rice every December. No other state government in the federation has achieved this feat. Governor Obiano equally ensures that promotions are in line with the civil service rules. The present administration also procured many mass transit buses to ply the Onitsha, Ekwulobia, Nnewi and Otuocha routes.

The buses convey workers to and work at highly subsidized rates. To further demonstrate his penchant for motivation, the governor constituted a committee to study the issues concerning the welfare of workers. The committee is headed by the deputy governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke. Meanwhile, as the issue of a new National Minimum wage is raging on, Governor Obiano is the first to promise to implement a new wage for the workers of the state. Prior to the debacle between the Labour and the federal government, Akpokuedike had increased workers’ wages.

Only recently, the governor also approved the scheduling of the Anambra Broadcasting Service and the Anambra Newspapers and Printing Corporation Staff into the Pension Scheme as well as to liquidate their arrears of gratuities and pensions being owed to their retired staff. Teachers handling core subjects and those in hard to reach areas earn higher than other workers as Akpokuedike gives them additional incentive as motivation.

The irony of this rare show of commitment of the governor to the workers in the state is that it is happening at a time in the nation’s history when some states, even with the bailout funds from the federal government and the oil producing states, still owe their workforce some months of arrears of salaries. While some state governments in the federation are involved in one faceoff or the other with the labour unions in their states, the labour unions in Anambra State maintain a high level of cordiality with the Obiano administration.

In fact, reacting to the latest award, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Jerry Nnubia, said he fully deserves it. He said, quote: “Governor Willie Obiano has always shown strong and positive disposition towards the welfare of Anambra workers. We are not surprised by this national recognition of what we in the South East have always known. We wish him well and believe that once the federal government and organized labour agree on the new minimum wage threshold, Governor Obiano will be the first in Nigeria to implement it”. End of quote.

The Obiano administration has indeed extended its hands of fellowship to workers in the state. All that is required now is for workers to reciprocate the gesture by being more alive to their responsibilities.