Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has disclosed that his administration has made a huge investment in workers welfare and human capital development in the last three and a half years, urging them to support him for a second term in office.
The Governor also said it actualised pact with workers in terms of capacity development, prompt payment of salaries, pensions, gratuity as well as remittances of deductions, said his administration has also recruited 9,788 workers into the public service as part of efforts to strengthen governance and improve service delivery, within the period.
Governor Oyebanji made this known on Friday while addressing workers at the 2026 international Workers Day celebration held at the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion, Ado Ekiti. He hailed Ekiti workers for their sundry contributions to the growth and development of the state, and commended their demonstrated commitment to the implementation of government policies and programmes which has been instrumental to the laudable achievements by his administration.
The Governor hinted that his government has prioritized workers’ welfare through prompt and regular payments of salaries, allowances, pensions and gratuity, stressing that all outstanding promotions arrears have been cleared up to 2025 with sustained financial backing.
Providing a breakdown of employment under his administration, Governor Oyebanji explained that thousands of workers have been recruited across key sector, including education, health, civil service and local government administration to address manpower gaps and enhance service delivery.
The Governor further disclosed that tens of thousands of workers have benefited from promotion, conversion and career advancements, describing the development as part of deliberate efforts to boost morale and ensure professionalism within the public service.
On wage policies, the Governor said the state was among the first to implement N70,000 minimum wage and ensure salary parity across different cadres, particularly in health sector, adding that his administration also invested in workers’ welfare through housing and car loan schemes, performance-based rewards and continuous payment of pension arrears inherited from previous administrations while maintaining monthly gratuity payment to retirees.
While congratulating the workers on the occasion of the 2026 May Day celebration, the Governor assured them that his administration would continue to prioritize their welfare through sustained investment in prompt payment of salaries and entitlements, improved working conditions, capacity development and policies aimed at enhancing productivity and overall wellbeing across public service.
He also disclosed to the cheering workers at the event his plans to seek a re-election on June 20, urging them to vote for him so that the state can sustain and surpass the current level of development as well as a better enhanced welfare of workers and the citizens.
“This is your government, let us do it again. I stand before you today to promise to continue to act in your best interest. I understand your pains and I am well positioned to relieve them as l have always done”, the Governor stated even as he also urged the workers to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for second term come January 2027.
Oyebanji said : “Let me therefore express my profound appreciation to you all, for the sacrifices and contributions you have made to the success of this administration. We would not have gone this far without your dedication and commitment to the effective implementation of policies and programmes of the administration. I am also very grateful for the public expression of support by yesterday’s solidarity visit to my office.
“It is for this reason; we have remained committed to the welfare of our workers through prompt and regular payment of salaries, allowances, pensions and gratuities.
“A total of N30,767,408,156.34 and N5,899,736,536.08 have been paid as pensions and gratuities of Local Government pensioners. At the State level, a sum of N31,623,022,512.145 has been paid as pensions for retired State workers, while over N10 billion were paid to defray gratuity arrears between October 2022 to March 2026. This is in addition to a monthly payment of N100million each to both State and Local Government retirees for gratuities. Our N20,000 (twenty thousand Naira) increase of pensions across board was just a gesture to meet the immediate needs at the time. I have requested for a broad overview of our pensions as it stands today.
“In our human capital development drive, we have recruited 4,253 teachers across SUBEB, Teaching Service Commission and the Ministry of Education, this is aside the 1,217 non-teaching staff employed to support our educational system. We kick-started our first fully digital education schools at Government College Ado-Ekiti which I believe the teachers are proud to celebrate the successes therein. Similarly, 1,461 workers have been employed into the Civil Service, while another 972 were recruited into the Local Government Service Commission”. The Governor asserted.
In her welcome address, the Head of Service, Dr Folakemi Olomojobi paid a glowing tribute to hardworking Ekiti workers whose commitment, professionalism and resilience continues to keep the machinery of government running efficiently adding that the state’s public service remains the backbone of policy formulation and effective implementation across all the ministries, departments and agencies.
Expressing pride over the numerous development goals achieved over the years, Dr Olomojobi maintained that Ekiti state was ranked, first in PSL-01 Subnational Audit Efficacy Index in the year 2023 as the trend continued with Ekiti being ranked first in fiscal transparency.
Speaking on the theme of 2026 workers day, Security, Poverty – Bane of Decent Work the Head of Service, who stressed the need for government to be intentional about workers welfare to focus on perennial issues that influences work and workers explained that security of lives and properties remains central to Ekiti state.
In their separate remarks, the Chairman of NLC, Comrade Kolapo Olatunde, his TUC counterpart, Comrade Omotola Farotimi explained that the International Workers Day was not a day of jamboree but a day to acknowledge the collective spirit of workers, their unity of purpose, sacrifices and their contributions to the creation of wealth and infrastructural developments of the society in all ramifications as well as the agitations, the struggles, victories and unrelenting battles for workers emancipation, freedom and good governance.
The labour leaders called on the three tiers of government to collaborate with sustainable policy guide and renewed architectural rejig to combat insecurity and debilitating poverty ravaging the polity stressing that insecurity and poverty are critical factors to the psychological stability, mental alertness and stable emotional intelligence or workers to perform optimally in their various work places.
They highlighted some of the achievements under Governor Oyebanji to include prompt payment of salaries, and pensions, clearing of arrears such as leave bonuses, third party deductions and other emoluments that weighed down families for years thereby restoring dignity to the workforce. According to them, the Governor has also granted free health services to the elderly, children, 0-5 years and pregnant women at the primary healthcare as well as payment of 6Billion Naira gratuity to both state and local government workers between 2024 to date and increase in subvention to all subvented institutions in the state among numerous others.
Also at the event were the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Adeoye Aribasoye, Secretary to the State Government, Prof Abibat Adubiaro, Chief of Staff, Mr Niyi Adebayo, members of the State Executive Council, among others
