Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has expressed gratitude to workers in the state for the cooperation to him all through the past eight years.
Okowa, in what could be regarded as his valedictory remarks at the celebration of the 2023 May Day, noted that the cordial relationship that existed between the workers and the state government was not as a result of absence of grey areas, but because both parties were able to engage in frank negotiations to find lasting solutions.
The Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Chief Patrick Ukah, stated that the existing cordial relationship had encouraged the government to uphold its welfare programmes for workers, citing the recent approval of a new retirement age for primary school teachers and the expected payment of the arrears of promotion.
He thanked the State Councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), as well as the affiliate unions, the their sustained understanding and cooperation, which enabled his administration to focus mainly on the task of governance.
Okowa acknowledged the contributions of Delta workers to the victory of PDP in the March 18 Governorship and House of Assembly elections, expressing the hope that the existing love and understanding of the workers would underline their relationship with the incoming administration.
The Governor specifically urged the workers to extend the same hand of fellowship to the incoming Governor, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, whom he said was not only labour friendly, but also truly abreast of the challenges of the workers, assuring that Oborevwori would carry them along.
Earlier, while delivering a joint address by the NLC and TUC, the State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Martins Bolum, expressed delight that this year’s celebration took place without restrictions after the 2020 edition which was plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comrade Bolum thanked God for seeing the workers and indeed Deltans through the 2023 general election and formally congratulated Governor Okowa and the PDP on the victory recorded in the March 18 Governorship and House of Assembly elections, which in a few days time would relocate Oborevwori from the State Assembly to Government House, Asaba.
He said the theme of the celebration: ‘Workers’ Rights and Socioeconomic Justice’, was apt as it captured Okowa’s unequalled performance in the area of workers’ welfare and human capital development over the past eight years of his administration.
The State TUC Chairman remarked that Delta workers were celebrating the 2023 May Day with mixed feeling because it was the very last Organized Labour in the state would be marking with the Governor, which explained why the joint address was limited to a reflection of the robust relationship the workers had with the him, rather than a litany of demands which used to be the trend in the past.
Comrade Bolum commended the Legislature and the Judiciary in the state, as well as the state’s workforce, for their support for Governor Okowa, which made it possible for his administration to deliver beyond expectations and urged the outgoing Governor to hand over the cordial relationship he had with the Organized Labour in the state to his predecessor for the greater good of the workers.
The event featured competitive march past by the affiliate unions of the NLC and TUC, with the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) clinching the first trophy, Medical and Health Workers Union, the second and the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) the third.
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