From Priscilla Ediare, Ado Ekiti
A pro-Segun Oni group, the Ekiti Build Back Better (EBBB), has explained the reasons the Ekiti State Governor, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, hurriedly announced some packages for the state’s workers two days before the May Day celebration.
Fayemi, who, again, missed this year’s celebration to avoid being embarrassed by the workers who are disenchanted by the unfulfilled promises to them, announced the package to dissuade the workers who had made up their minds to go with the leading opposition candidate, Asiwaju Segun Oni.
The EBBB had earlier predicted that the governor, who will complete his second term in October, would not show up for the programme.
He was, however, represented by his deputy.
The workers, who were poised for a showdown with the government, had planned to embarrass Fayemi, notwithstanding the last-minute carrots dangled to placate them, as they saw the development as rather too late and an effort in futility to convince them to support and vote for his anointed All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji.
Fayemi had, last Friday, taken a shaky step to appeal to the workers not to support the former governor and Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate, Oni who workers believe will rescue them from poverty by announcing to give financial backing to the 2017 and 2018 promotions, pay one year leave bonus out of the four years owed and probably pay part of the unpaid salaries.
According to a press statement issued by the EBBB spokesman, Idowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, the State Pavilion, Ado-Ekiti, venue of the ceremony, was almost empty, as very few workers showed up.
“The 2021 May Day celebration was cancelled at the last minute, when it became obvious that the labour leaders couldn’t convince the workers to back down their plan to embarrass the governor.
“The workers were angry over the unfulfilled promises of Governor Fayemi to them since he assumed office in October 2018, querying the sense in filing out in a parade to salute the government.
“Sensing that the situation had remained the same, the workers had asked their leaders who tried to persuade them to come to Pavilion salient questions like: ‘What are we to celebrate? Is it poverty, hunger, unfulfilled promises, unpaid salaries, unpaid four-year leave bonuses, promotion without financial backing or are you, our leaders, saying we should parade to salute this government for denying us our benefits? If we do that, we are bunch of morons.”
Adelusi said the workers, who had accused their leaders of collaborating with the government to impoverish them, had vowed to use their voter’s cards to elect Asiwaju Oni as their governor, pledging to defend their votes and to reject vote-buying.