Governor Chukwuma Soludo has called on Anambra State workers to be more committed in their respective duties as he assured them of his government continuous support.
Governor Soludo gave the assurance during the 2023 Workers’ Day Celebration, held at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, the state capital.
He said that “while the organised labour makes up a small portion of the state workforce; tricycle drivers, transporters, hawkers, traders, farmers, artisans, and self-employed individuals who are much more in number, are also workers.”
The Governor acknowledged the contributions from all workers, including public servants, civil servants, and all those employed by different agencies and parastatals, and appreciated them for their support and solidarity.
He urged them to focus on the big picture while reiterating his unwavering dedication to their welfare, stressing that “he was once a teacher.”
“You should be aware that anything pertaining to workers that this government has not done is currently not financially feasible,” Governor Soludo said.
The Governor stated that despite declining revenue, pensions and gratuities inherited from the previous administration since 2018 running into billions of naira, are currently being paid without prompting by his government.
He said; “I made the decision and everybody who has retired under my watch has been paid their gratuity and pensions as and when due.
“Our Government is very transparent. The budget for this year is predicated on IGR of 4 billion naira per month, but we are making an average of 2 billion naira per month, operating with an 8 billion naira deficit for the past four months.
“Revenue is not increasing, so one of the pressures I faced when I took office was to review employee salaries and reduce the workforce by half. The story wouldn’t be what it is today if I had yielded to it.
“I took into account, the country’s inflationary situation when I decided to raise workers’ salaries by 10%.”
“Ten thousand employees are currently receiving digital skills and it will continue until every Anambra worker is digitally trained,” Governor Soludo explained.
The Governor committed to investigating workers due for promotion and promise to continue to improve the welfare of workers as the state revenue increases.
The Anambra State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Humphrey Nwafor, praised the Governor for successfully recruiting 5000 Primary/Secondary School teachers and raising Anambra workers’ wages, among others.
The Chairman advocated mass recruitment of personnel to fill the vacancies created by mass retirement from the service, worker training and retraining to enable them to improve their skills and contribute meaningfully to the development of the state.
Other demands made by the Chairman include the procurement of new buses for public servants and regular maintenance of existing ones, and the provision of low-cost housing for workers, among others.
On his part, the Anambra State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Chris Ogbonna, stated that “while the relationship between the Trade Union Congress and the Anambra Government has been cordial, is because when issues of disagreement arise, there is always an effort to settle them amicably.”
Dignitaries that attended the event were; Deputy Governor, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Uche Okafor, Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, Head of Service, Theodore Igwegbe, National President, ASATU, Titus Akpudo and Principal Secretary to the Governor, J.P.C. Anetoh.
Members of the Anambra State Executive Council, Permanent Secretaries, Political Appointees, Labour Leaders, Traditional Rulers also attended the event.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
