The Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has said that his administration would place high priority on welfare of workers.
Oborevwori made the statement on Wednesday while declaring open a one-day workshop for labour leaders by the office of Labour Relations and SERVICOM in Asaba, Delta State.
Represented by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, FCA, the governor said that his administration will continue to listen more and do more for the welfare of workers and implement workers-friendly policies that would enhance and encourage Deltans to put in their best in their jobs and excel in their chosen fields.
He said, in the M.O.R.E agenda is encapsulated Meaningful Development which also included human capital development to enable us harness our potentials and improve on ourselves.
“Let me appreciate the organisers of this event, the Office of the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Labour Relations and SERVICOM, for this timely and laudable initiative. It is timely and most appropriate, given our contemporary national economic experience.
“When we talk about the organised labour, we talk about umbrella bodies of all workers in all sectors of the economy and they are largely grouped into two, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC). As such, in this hall today, we have the leadership and or representatives of all the workers in Delta State. This is simply amazing and it shows that all hands must be on deck for us to successfully deliver the M.O.R.E. Agenda for the advancement of our great state, Delta.
“We are aware of the fact that what is encapsulated in the M.O.R.E. Agenda of my administration are, Meaningful Development, which means that we shall not only concentrate on the provision of infrastructure that will be of benefits to all of us as Deltans, but will also, include human capital development to enable us harness our potentials and improve on ourselves.
“Also, the “O” in the M.O.R.E. Agenda is, Opportunities for All. This is the reason we are here today, to brainstorm and agree to make our contributions through our jobs, our professions; we should not only think about our welfare alone but we should have a broader mindset so that our actions should be of enhanced benefit to humanity. This is the best way to go if we must be comfortable in our place of work, our homes and wherever we find ourselves. As a government, we shall continue to encourage Deltans to put in their best in their jobs and encourage our people to excel in their chosen fields of life. I have promised Deltans that I will run an open, transparent and responsive government predicated on prosperity, where everybody has a sense of belonging, and by the grace of God, I will not deviate from that promise. I appeal to you all to key into this for us to succeed as a people. In your offices or wherever you find yourselves, you must be transparent for you to earn the trust of the people. You must not think about yourself alone but what your action or inaction will have on the generality of the people. This issue should always guide you so that you put the interest of the people first before all else.
“Realistic Reforms: This gathering is part of activities to ensure that we imbibe the right attitude towards getting the best for our people. The M.O.R.E. Agenda of my administration is about you; so, the reforms that will be continuously implemented by my administration will be impactful to all Deltans and this brings us to the “E” in the M.O.R.E. Agenda which is simply, Enhanced Peace and Security. This is very crucial to the success story of everything that we are doing as a government.
“It is a collective responsibility for us to have a peaceful and secure society. If you are peaceful and abhor criminal activities and you know who is involved in criminal activities but fail to report such person to security agencies, in the long run, you may be a victim of such a criminal. So, making our society, our state, peaceful and secure is a collective responsibility.
“So far, we thank God that Delta is relatively peaceful and we hope to sustain it and you all should join in our initiatives to make the state the most peaceful in the country. With such, it will be the investors’ destination of the world and more job opportunities will be created and your unions will have more members.
“I am happy with the theme for this seminar, ‘Enhancing The Relationship Between Government and Organised Labour For Effective Service Delivery and Advancement of the MORE Agenda.’
“I am aware that experts have been carefully selected to deliver lectures at this seminar, it is based on that that I will urge you all to pay attention to what they will say. But beyond that, whatever you will learn at this seminar will be useless if you do not put it to practice; so, whatever you are taught, let it impact on your behaviour and go further to make your members imbibe the right attitude either in their offices, in their place of work or generally, wherever they find themselves.
“My administration will listen more and do more; so, be assured that we shall continue to place high priority on the welfare of workers, implement staff-friendly policies and you should also, reciprocate such by bringing out your best for us to get it right as a people,” the governor said.
In his speech, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Kingsley Emu, charged labour leaders to shun unnecessary bureaucracy for effective service delivery.
Also, the Head of Service, Mr Reginald Bayoko, described the civil service as the backbone of governant structure, that acts as the linchpin connecting the government’s vision with community’s well-being.
He said that the essence of the workshop was to cultivate a harmonious, productive relationship between the government and organized labour.
Earlier in his remarks, the Senior Policy Adviser to the Governor, Rt. Hon. Solomon Funkekeme, said that the workshop underscored the importance Governor Oborevwori placed in building and sustaining the harmonious and good working relationship that exists between the Delta State government and the organised labour.
