Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has called on the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to reconsider their planned nationwide strike.
Governor Alia who made the call in his independence broadcast to the people of the state on Sunday appealed to labour leaders to exercise more patience with the government as it works towards meeting their demands.
He said, “In view of the looming industrial action by organised labour across the country, I passionately appeal to the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), to reconsider their plans by exercising little more patience, as Government is working round the clock to meet their demands, despite the harsh economic realities.
While speaking on the new trend of marathon trekking by some youths in the state, the governor who lamented that many of the youths got stranded when they didn’t meet their mentor urged them to desist from the act.
He, instead admonished them to avail themselves of the ICT training organized by his administration to enable them to become self-reliant in the future.
He promised that his administration would not deploy propaganda and political blackmail in governance, but would rather allow its achievements in office to. speak.
Alia said that his administration did not consider regular payment of pensions, gratuity, and public workers’ salaries as an achievement, but promised to sustain the practice and to stabilise the welfare package of the state’s workforce.
He said the government under his watch, had left the door opened for innovative ideas and constructive criticisms, adding that corruption and nepotism are already being relegated, especially as the administration is poised to foist the flags of merit, equity, equality, justice and fairness in all its dealings.
On his abducted Commissioner who has spent a whole week in the kidnappers’ den, the governor said that his administration and security agencies were working assiduously to ensure his safe release and others.
On the menace of communal clashes in some parts of the state, the governor explained that a master plan for peace was in the pipeline to address the trend, even as he said efforts were already in place, aimed at ensuring lasting peace, security and safety of lives and property at the state’s border areas.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then