Osun state Governor, Ademola Adeleke on Thursday bagged the Most Humane Governor of the Year Award.
The award was conferred on the Governor by the entire civil servants in the state.
Workers in their hundreds led by Comrade Lasun Oladele, the Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council, presented the award of the “Most Humane Governor of the Year” to the Governor with top ratings and ranking for the Governor across the sectors of the state economy and governance.
With all public service union leaders taking turns to reel out justification for the award, the Head of Service, Elder Ayanleye Aina said the event is not just an award but that the giving out of another Two Billion, Nine Hundred Million naira pension bond made the gathering a unique one.
“Your Excellency, the entire workforce of Osun State and retirees have a lot to celebrate today as we rejoice with You on the conferment of this well-deserved award by the Labour Leaders in the State on you.
“Experience has shown very clearly that there is a wide gap between campaign promises and the actual delivery of dividends of democracy. The case of our amiable Governor is a radical departure from this position as workers and retirees have continued to benefit from the kindness of the Governor. You indeed displayed great character and integrity by fulfilling your campaign promises to the workers and pensioners in the State in many areas:
“Prior to the advent of your Administration in the State, senior workers were owed several months of unpaid half salaries, a situation that came to the national limelight. Believing that governance is a continuum, your administration has been consistently offsetting these backlog of salary and pension arrears. As we speak, four months arrears have been paid to date
Speaking, Governor Adeleke assured Osun people of sustained pursuit of the progress of the state, saying he will continue to give priority to the welfare of workers in the state.
He said: “Today, I am again deeply overwhelmed by the show of love and support from great Osun workers and retirees. The outpouring of affection for me and my team has further rekindled my faith in our five point agenda for which workers’ welfare is number one.
“Some months ago, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners conferred on me the award of the most workers’ friendly governor. I was told that was the first time the union would grant such honor to a serving Governor. Here we are today again with the entire workforce of the public service acknowledging our modest contributions to the development of our dear state.
“The positive testimonies from the various unions and labour leaders attested to the correctness of our original thinking when running for the state governorship. We had analyzed the political space and concluded then that the smartest way to grow Osun is workers welfare. We accept and adopt the reality that human capital is a strong foundation for integrated development of the state.
