Oyo to provide free transportation for workers from January

It was jubilation galore by civil servants in Oyo State on Thursday as Governor Abiola Ajimobi approved free transportation service to and fro their offices with effect from January next year.
Ajimobi, while breaking the cheering news to the workers during an interactive session he held with them at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, Ibadan, said that some buses had been procured by government for the purpose.
He said that the buses would be distributed to various locations to convey the workers to the state secretariat in the morning and return them to the same locations after close of work.
Ajimobi, who said that this was part of his administration’s welfare package for the state workforce in the New Year, also announced the payment of 13th month salary for the civil servants.
He also announced that the workers should close for work on December 24 by 12 noon so as to allow them prepare for the Christmas celebration the following day.
The governor also approved 100 per cent increment in car loans for the workers and that the taxes being deducted from their salaries had been reduced by 48 per cent.
While promising more welfare packages for the civil servants, he, however, charged them to generate ideas for his administration that would further help the revenue generation drive of government.
Ajimobi described his administration as a knowledge-based one, saying that more than 13,000 civil and public servants had been trained in the last 18 months to enhance productivity.
He directed the state Ministry of Establishment and Training to put in place a well-thought out training scheme that would ensure that all categories of civil servants benefit from the training programme of his government.
The governor also said that his government would make houses available to workers from the housing estate currently being built by a firm, stressing that mortgage would be arranged for them to ensure the houses’ affordability.
He added that his administration had continued to achieve success in its restoration, transformation and repositioning agenda in the areas of security, provision of quality education, health, environmental sanitation and provision of infrastructure.
Ajimobi said: “The train of improvement, the train of pacesetting, the train of restoration, transformation and repositioning have started moving in Oyo State.
“There is no stopping until we are able to take this state to the desired height.”
Ajimobi also said that he became governor of the state through divine intervention, adding: “I did not seek assistance from or use any thug and neither did I collect money from anybody to win election.”
Explaining the idea behind the parley, the governor said: “It is to dialogue, communicate with you and also get feedback from you as to what we are doing so that there will not be room for rumours.”
The state Vice Chairman, Joint Negotiating Council, Remi Adediji, in his remarks, expressed appreciation to the governor for running what he called a worker-friendly administration.