Oshiomhole (left) Obaseki (centre) at a campaign ground

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

Candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC)  in the September 28 Edo gubernatorial election, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has been adopted by the organised labour (Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC), in the state.

They gave the endorsement on Friday in Benin at a grand reception ceremony organised to thank and honour the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole.

Speaking on behalf of the two labour unions, Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Emmanuel Ademokun, said the performance of governor Oshiomhole, as witnessed across the state, necessitated the endorsement of Obaseki.

He said: “A comparative analysis of this government with others that have governed the state since its creation would reveal that the entire  past government could not achieve one third of what Oshiomhole’s government has achieved in eight years.

“We are convinced that as he prepares to end his second tenure, there is need to thank him and give him the necessary supports to enable his legacies to be sustained and allow positive developments through massive support of all the workers in Edo state by voting enmass for the APC candidate, Godwin Obaseki.

“The organised labour do not want to return to the year of Holocaust hence they have resolved  to be active participant in the choice who governs the state and mobilize for Obaseki.”

The NLC chairman however appealed to governor Oshiomhole to address all pending issues of workers, especially issues pensioners, local government workers and other categories of workers before leaving office.

‎Responding, Godwin Obaseki promised that aside infrastructural development, he would concentrate on human capacity development, especially in the civil service because if we have a strong civil service we would achieve our set goal.

“I will ensure regular payment of salary. We are going to spend our resources in training and retraining of our civil servant and teachers and emphasize the use of technology in our governance so that the issues promotion and pension would be adequately addressed.

On his part, governor Oshiomhole in whose honour the event was organised, commended the labour unions for standing by him in ensuring that development of the state is sustained.

He assured the workers that the problems of the pensioners in the state would soon be a thing of the past, as the state has completed a process that would ensure that the day a civil servant attains 60 years of age, the system would automatically migrate him to  receive pension without bribing any one.