Ondo State workers got a basketful of good news on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 as Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu Aketi, SAN, directed that 3,650 deserving workers should be promoted before the end of this year.
This is just as the governor allayed the workers’ palpable fears over the state government’s plan to sack or retrench some of them in spite of the fact that salary payment is taking a major toll on the state’s finances.
Representatives of labour unions in the state rose to applaud the Akeredolu-led government when the state Head of Service, Mr. Dare Aragbaye, told them at a well-attended press briefing at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office in Akure that all the deserving 3,650 workers would get their financial benefits up to date.
Aragbaye said Governnor Akeredolu equally took the administration of pension and gratuity of retirees seriously.
He said: “In his avowed determination to translate his electoral promises to actions, this administration has released the total sum of N6.12 billion for part payment of the backlog of unpaid gratuity inherited in 2017.
“This feat was achieved through monthly release of N200 million to the fund for part payment of gratuity to pensioners. This is in addition to the payment of six months arrears of pension out of the seven months inherited from the immediate past administration in 2017.”
The Head of Service added that the current administration also implemented the 33 percent basic pension increase for pensioners in Ondo State Public Service up till October 2014 along with the N30,000 minimum wage.
With the implementation of the 33 percent basic pension increase, Ondo State took the lead among its colleagues in the South-West.
Due to his government’s love for the senior citizens, the governor has reduced the number of needed documents for processing pensions from 30 to 14 and eliminated the activities of exploitative syndicate and fraudsters hitherto associated with pension process.
Job applicants also got a piece of the good news on Tuesday. Governnor Akeredolu approved the recruitment of 1,000 teachers with B.ED & NCE qualifications. Two hundred vacancies are for candidates with B.ED, while 800 are for those with NCE holders.
The recruitment exercise will start within the next two weeks, as prospective candidates are urged to visit SUBEB portal for further information.
Also, Akeredolu-led government gave approval for the recruitment of health workers to fill the existing vacancies.
In order to fill the personnel gaps identified in the critical areas of the Primary Heald Care sector in the 18 local government areas of the state, the governor approved the filling of 432 vacancies in its different cadres.
The recruitment exercise, which will be facility-based, would commence in no distant time, as prospective candidates are to visit ODSPHCDA portal in due course.
Falodi Fisayo
Press Secretary (Print) to Gov Akeredolu
