Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Wednesday assured that no worker in the payroll of the state government will earn less than the national minimum wage.
Makinde also took responsibility for what he termed “failure of government” under his watch concerning the recent fire in different parts of the state.
The governor spoke during the 2020 Inter-Religious Prayer Service organised by the state government at the State Secretariat, Agodi in Ibadan.
He said a committee had been set up to oversee the negotiation and implementation of the new minimum wage.
The governor said his administration was on the same page with labour on the new N30,000 minimum wage for workers.
He posited that government and the civil servants would be reasonable in the negotiation, saying they were heading in the same direction of delivering good governance and development to the state.
Makinde further reiterated his administration’s commitment towards improved welfare for the state’s workforce and better living standard for the residents.
Meanwhile, the governor has taken responsibility for what he termed “failure of government” under his watch in relation to the occurrence of fire incidents in different parts of the state.
Makinde, who also was at the event which was well attended by top government functionaries and workers, said: “I must, at this point, stop to express my deep sadness over the recent loss of lives and property because of various fires in Oyo State. One of the more recent, the Akesan market inferno, is deeply regretted. Things happened that signalled a failure in our systems. I promised to protect the life and property of everyone living within the borders of Oyo State, I take responsibility for this failing. I will make things right.
“Already, we have started the bidding process for ten new fire trucks. I have also called for investigations into the immediate and remote causes of these fires. We are also rebuilding the market and we will begin a process of providing support to the market people that lost their wares.
“But we also know that something more important than fighting fires is making sure that the fire does not start at all. So, I urge us all, to be a little more safety conscious, especially given the weather conditions that we are experiencing.
“In a way, we all also want to prevent personal fires in our lives this year and the best way to do that is by setting SMART goals.
“Our goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound.
“We should plan now so that when we meet for the next Inter-religious Service, God sparing our lives, we will be able to look back, as we are looking back at 2019 now and have cause to be thankful.”
