Oyo APC Tells Gov-elect to Stop Crying Wolf over New Minimum Wage

Oyo APC Tells Gov-elect to Stop Crying Wolf over New Minimum Wage

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the outgoing government in the state has the right to open discussion over the new minimum wage with the labour unions in the state.

The party, while apparently reacting to the statement by the governor-elect, Mr. Seyi Makinde, that the discussion with the labour unions should be left for the in-coming administration, also said the leadership of the unions initiated the discussion with the Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration.

The state APC Publicity Secretary, Dr. AbdulAzeez Olatunde, in a statement yesterday, said it is only an irresponsible state government that will disobey the directive of the president and as well turn down the request of its workforce, stating that the organised labour in the state wrote a letter dated April 24, 2019, with reference no NLC/TUC/JNC/OY/ADM/13, requesting for immediate implementation of the new national minimum wage in the state with effect from April 2019 salary.

Olatunde admonished that media houses in the state should always follow the principles of ethical journalism by cross checking facts before broadcasting or going to press, noting that an analyst on a road station on Monday during the newspaper review programme, made a categorical statement to mislead the public that the organised labour did not write a letter to the government and that the Ajimobi administration never paid salaries on the 25 or 26 of any month.

He said the continuous display of unprofessional conduct by the radio station is unbecoming and indecorous of any credible news medium appealing to the media house to stop feeding the public falsehood as the assertions of the analyst are patently false.

The APC Publicity Secretary stated further that it is an unfortunate display of lack of understanding of governance for the governor-elect’s spokesperson, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, to insinuate that the administration of Governor Ajimobi would set a booby trap for the incoming administration, stressing that Oyelade is being haunted by the landmines set for the Governor Ajimobi administration by the government he (Oyelade) served between 2007 and 2011.

He said that the assumption of Mr. Oyelade and his cohorts was wrong, stating that the in-coming government is at liberty to discontinue the discussion after its assumption of office as the present administration has not agreed with the labour on the modalities of implementing the new minimum wage.

Olatunde further revealed that in the jointly signed letter by Kofo Ogundeji, Secretary NLC, Mayowa Falegbe, Secretary TUC and Kolawole Eniola, JNC Vice Chairman to Governor Ajimobi, the organised labour had requested for implementation on the new minimum wage for the April 2019 salary and requested that the governor acknowledges their letter and take quick action on their request.

He added that the organised labour claimed that its resolution for the governor to put all machinery into action for the immediate implementation of the new national minimum wage was made at its emergency meeting held on Tuesday, April 23, 2019.

He appealed to the incoming administration to stop crying wolf when there is none, emphasising that government is a continuum and no state government will disregard or ignore a bill assented to law by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially when it is stipulated for immediate implementation.

According to him, “Governor Ajimobi has only acted responsibly towards the new law by the President of the country and the follow up request by the organised labour. The governor’s high sense of fairness and politics without bitterness will not allow him to engage in setting booby traps. He recently demonstrated this with the unprecedented inauguration of the joint transition committee, which is the first in the history of the state. We urge the in-coming government to stop crying wolf and prepare for the serious act of governance which is more tasking than rabble rousing.”

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